


Asago Academy: Yunna's Route - PBG Path

by orphan_account



Series: Asago Academy: Yunna's Route Series [2]
Category: Asagao Academy: Normal Boots Club
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 11:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7713463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You chose PBG!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. PBG Festival

**Author's Note:**

> Personally, this is my favorite route! And only because one scene actually happened to me in real life. Anyway, let's start on this path!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Festival time with PBG!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter tore my heart when I wrote it. And it is only the beginning!

“... PBG!”

Mai nodded as I touched my earrings. “That’s going to be hella adorable, let me tell you. I know how he can be a bit silly… but when he cares about something… he truly cares. He’ll be good to you.”

I start to blush red. 

“Well, go on! Go! Go get your man!” She shouted, trying to push me out the door.

“Wait, now!? I’m not ready! I need to take a bath and dress nice and…”

“You are asking him on the date for the Flower Festival that’s later! You aren’t going out right now! Just ask!” She said with one last shove out the door, feeling something landing in my hair and all around me. I pick up what looks to be a flower petal made of paper. “Go! Go get senpai to notice you!” She told me again, tossing more of the paper cherry blossom petals over my head.

I turn around, giving her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am!”

“This is going to be your big day! You’re the main character in this story! Unless you mess up really bad, you’ll definitely get a good answer.”

“But what if I do mess up…?”

“Just GO!” she shouted before closing the door and locking it behind me.

_But… where do I find him?_

*****************************************************************************************************

After looking around where I guess where his usual haunts, I find him practicing at the soccer field.

_I should have guessed here in the first place…_

I didn’t want to interrupt him during practice, so I waited until they had stopped for the day. I then walked over to him, waving to get his attention.

“Hey, PBG!” I shouted.

_This is good. Starting off strong._

But he didn’t hear me at first, failing to notice he was talking to someone on his phone. I tried once more, getting closer this time. “Um, PBG? Hello?”

He then turned to face me, a shocked look on his face. “Yunna! Ah…” He then tried to decide what to do, looking at me then at his phone, deciding to end the conversation quickly. 

“Sorry, I’ll talk to you later…” he said hurriedly before pushing the disconnect button. He laughed a little. “So, what’s up?”

“Uh...well…”

_And I lost it…_

“I was wondering… since the Flower Festival is tomorrow…” 

_Still doing good…_

“Oh! Your right!” He shouted. He then looked at me in a new light, his face turning a soft pink. “S-so… uh, what brings you here with that information?”

“Um… I… I thought that… And since anyone goes with anyone else… I… um… maybe...:”

_You are screwing this up so hard, Yunna! Get it together!!!_

“Oh, yeah. They do, don’t they?” He said, laughing a bit too loudly now.

_Just spit it out!_

“I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the festival with me!” I blurted out, closing my eyes. I waited for him to respond, afraid to look at his face.

_He is taking way too long… Heisgoingtosaynoheisgoingtosaynoheisgoingtosaynohe…_

I then felt him pat the top of my head. As I opened my eyes, I saw that he leaned over just enough to be eye to eye with me.

“Of course I’ll go! I’m glad you asked!” He said with a smile.

“R-really?” I asked, seeing him nod. I then started to bounce up and down. “Yay! I did it! Eeeeeek!”

“You can say that again! I got asked out by a girl!” He smiled, now bouncing along with me. “This is one of the best days of my life!”

I nodded, ready to run laps around the field until I fainted. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

His smile was off just a little. “Yeah, see ya then!”

I then ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

*****************************************************************************************************

I had woken up early that morning, a spring in my step as I put on a pink long sleeve blouse with a decorated skull on the front. With my scooter in hand, I zoomed off to town and visited the nearest convenience store, buying the oddest flavors I could find of every candy. By the time I got back, it was well past noon.

“Mai! I’m back!” I shouted as I grabbed the box my scooter came in yesterday and dumped the two plastic bags into it. “It took me much longer than I thought it would to get back. Foot traffic is killer here…”

“Nice to see you are back! I thought I would have to leave without you and pick something myself.” she said as she grabbed my hand.

“Why the rush?” I asked as I pulled away from her. I packed a few more things that I had gotten when Hana showed me around I had stayed with her and her father before leaving for America. I placed a pot that I commissioned her father to make carefully and packed it tight with old newspaper.

“I’m going to take you to buy a yukata!”

I spun my head so fast I was surprised that it didn’t fall off. “REALLY!?” I then sped up packing the box, tossing in the letter I wrote earlier. “We can send this off on the way! Come on, let’s go!”

*****************************************************************************************************

We had barely made it back in time after picking our yakutas. I had picked a black colored one with blue roses patterned on it. I smiled happily as I waved to Mai as she ran towards town. She had gotten the entire outfit for me, including the socks, sandals, and a little black purse to match my outfit. I couldn’t help but to spin around, enjoying the feeling of wearing traditional Japanese clothing. 

I watched as many of the other students pass me by as I waited. The horizon then started to give off a pale, red glow as the sun started to set.  
_Is that the bonfire? It’s huge!_

“Hey!” I heard from behind me. I turned around and saw PBG in casual clothes.

“You’re here!” I said, smiling.

“I am! Ready to go?”

I nodded, feeling like I had enough energy to blast off to the moon.

Together, we walked off of campus and to the festival.

“This is probably my third time going off campus today. It kind of feels nice to come and go like this. Other then today, I haven’t really been off campus.”

“Yeah, I have been off campus a couple of times for soccer-related things. Other then the festival, there are not too many things that happen around here… What were the other two times for?” he asked.

“The first was to buy candy to send back home. The second was to send it off before Mai and me went to buy yakutas. I am so happy I was able to get this one. Do you like it?” I then spun around for him to get a good look. 

“Yeah. You look really different without your uniform on. Uh… good different! You’re super cute! Uh… I mean...” he blushed.

I laughed, blushing with him.. “Well, you look different without your jacket. Handsome different...”

We were met with a clash of noises when we reached the festival: People laughing and talking intermingled with the sound of drums and stall workers calling for customers.

“So, what do you want to do first?”

I shrugged. “I donno. I never been to a festival like this before.”

I looked down the line of stalls that covered the entire street. It looked like the entire town had pitched in to this event. It was much like the one at home: Restaurants sold their best dishes with experimental ones, Game stalls designed to give out prizes for unfair games, Artists selling works of art based around town. They were all things that I have only seen in Anime and Manga. It was exciting. I then thought of the one thing I knew would be here. 

“How about we visit Asago’s stall first?” I said, wondering if my paper flowers had been sold.

“Oh, yeah! Let’s go check how things are over there.” PBG said as he lead his way through the crowds. 

I was losing him quickly, never having been in the middle of a crowd this thick. After a few more moments, I was completely lost in a sea of people, being shoved this way and that, trying to follow the flow of people only to stumble in my sandals. 

_For a small town, Higanbana had a lot more people then Amity ever had._

I then did what would happen if I lost my brothers, inch my way to a thinner part of the crowd and try to get a bead in my location. But there were so many bodies that I could only stand still.

_It is way too loud to try and make a call or send a text… Hm… Okay, if I can find the Asago stall, maybe PBG can find me…_

I looked around, seeing if there was a method to the madness of how the stalls were placed, only to see them all selling many of the same things. I was lost in my thoughts when I was then felt my foot get caught against a cobblestone, the string to my sandal tearing into me and my body hitting the ground. Anxiety started to build up inside me as the world started to spin, unable to speak anymore as I somehow scrambled my way back to standing up.

“Yunna!” I heard PBG shout, waving at me from across the crowd as he managed his way over. 

“H-hey!” I managed to squeak out, now throwing my politeness to the wind as I clambered over to him, pushing Mimi a little too hard in the process. I heard her shout at me, but I ignored her, only wanting to get back to PBG. It was hard to walk, but thankfully PBG met me halfway. 

I clung onto him for support, yelping as I clutched a patch of pain on my left leg. “I… I fell… My leg...” 

“Really? Do you mind if I see?.” He then kneeled as he looked up at me. 

I lifted my yukata just enough for him to look at it. 

“Hm… it looks like it is going to leave a bruise. We’ll ask for ice at one of the stalls, okay? Here, take my hand and don’t let go.”

I nodded, letting him help me move along in the crowd without letting go of my hand. It was an odd feeling, being taken care of when I usual did had to for my family. It was also a little funny to depend on someone who constantly oversleeps and misses class on the daily basis. But he was there when you need him most.

_No wonder he was one of the founding members of Normal Boots…_

“Am I glad to be out of there. There are so many people… I don’t like it...” I said, doing my best not to move my bruising leg.

“Me too. I hate large crowds of people. It’s just so hard to breathe. It’s hard to treat people like they’re people when there is so many ”

We then moved over to one of the side alleys, the throng of people thinning quite a bit. We no longer needed to hold hands. But, he didn’t let go. I didn’t want him to… 

_Just like a real date… Wait… Does he think this is a date? Is it a date? I kind want this to be a date now… I mean, I didn’t think of it that way at first but…_

I started to blush, looking up at PBG as he looked forward. I couldn’t tell if his ears were pinker than normal or not.

He then asked one of the stalls for ice, the person helping us ended up being one of our classmates. 

_What was her name again? Katsu? No, that’s not it… Kakusu! That’s it! Wait, isn’t she the person I mistook for Mai once?_

“Affirmative. Ice will be delivered.” she said “What is the happenstance of this?”

_Is it me... Or does her voice sound… metallic?_

“She took a misstep and tripped! And no one even helped her up!” he explained.

“That is awful.” She stated.

“I know, right?” He said through gritted teeth, “Who does that? How can you just leave someone that fell on the ground? I guess there is a lot going on, but still.”

Kakusu smiled. “You are a supportive individual.”

PBG’s face turned red. “Well, anybody would do that!”

I tried to move the conversation along. “Why are you working at this stall? Earning some extra pocket money, Kakusu?”

“My family owns a restaurant out here, so I am supporting their efforts.” She responded.

“HA!” PBG said as he pointed at her accusingly. “That makes YOU the supportive individual!”

She looked at him blankly, as if to process what would be the most effective way to respond before giving off an odd laugh. “Your attempt at humor is charming.”

PBG then leaned toward me as Kakusu was putting ice into a bag, whispering, “This girl is really weird.”

I just nod. “She is always like this. So, I don’t think you should worry about it too much. At least she likes you?”

_If I didn’t know any better, I could say she was an android and it would be true. But there is no way that could happen… right? Right...?_

.”She does?” He asked a moment before Kakusu came back with ice in hand.

“Here is your ice, Human.” She offered with a smile.

“Uh. Thank you, human.” he said back as my suspicion deepened.

She then beamed at the both of us, clearly pleased on how the conversation went. “That is wonderful! We are friends now. Allow us to be friends.”

“Yeah, sure. We’re friends.” PBG agreed.

“Kakusu has made a friend. Kakusu is a supportive human. Kakusu has been successful today.”

_Never mind android. She is a robot!_

“ _Let’s get out of here._ ” He stressed, giving her a small wave and smile as we then clumped back together to find somewhere to sit.

“Bye, Kakusu!” I shouted behind us.

“Goodbye, friends.”

After a little more stumbling around, we had finally found a bench next to a empty looking stall. I carefully lifted both of my legs up as we sat down to make it easier to put the ice on. I offered my hand so he could give me the ice, but he put it on my leg instead, holding it in place. The ice stung at my skin, but he only pressed hard enough to make sure that it didn’t slip off. 

“It doesn’t seem to be swelling as much. That’s good.” He commented as he lifted the bag up to check on it.  
I flex my leg a little. “Yeah, it feels a lot better. I can’t even feel it when I move now. Thanks for worrying about me…”

“Yeah, but we don’t want it to get worse.”

I blush softly, looking away so he couldn’t see. “I-I’m fine!”

He nodded, not seeming to care what I said.

I then reach for the bag of ice. “Here, I got it…” But I couldn’t get at the bag, having to take his hand instead.

Startled, he backed off, letting the ice slip off my leg and onto the bench, causing me to blush more. “Sorry!”

We then sat in silence, only for the both of us to jump again when my cell phone rang. I quickly look to see it was Hana. Not wanting to ruin the moment, I dismissed the call. I then grabbed the bag of ice and put it to the side of me, now swinging my legs back to the ground and tested standing up, showing him I was fine now. 

“Hey, look! They have taiyaki!” I said as I then walked ahead of him, his long strides catching up to me in no time. We then just kept walking, looking at each others and making various faces as we each tried to think of something to say. We reached the stall, PBG now buying for the two of us. I felt the warmth of the fish-shaped pastry in my hands. 

“Thanks…” I mumbled as I looked up at him. “Should we continue trying to find Asago’s stall?”

He nodded. He seemed distracted by something. There was also the way he kept looking at me. As if he was trying to decide something very important. My phone then rang again, balancing my purse on my wrist as I pulled my phone out to see it was Hana again. I dismissed this call as well. 

“Is there going to be fireworks?” I asked, now putting my phone on vibrate.

“WHAT?” He asked, startled now that I had snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Are… are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine… There is just something I want to talk to you about…” He then pulled us to another empty space, looking at me seriously. “I can’t help but to think about Hana everytime I see you. You look a lot like her, but you act so differently. And she still can’t remember who I am.”

_Oh. I guess the stall can wait._

“Go on.” I motioned.

“Well… we have been talking online for a few days now, and she can’t remember me at all. It seems she had an accident that made her lose her memories. I’ve tried everything.”

“Have you tried saying things that you used to do when you knew each other? What did she call you?” I asked, getting tired of Hana calling me over and over. “Just a minute.”

I then grab my phone and answer it. “Can you hold on a moment?”

Hana gave an okay before telling me to come back quickly.

I then look up at PBG, running his hand through his hair as I waited for his answer. “Well, she would call me out by my full name… She would call me PeanutButterGamer…”

We then heard a loud scream of pain coming from my phone. “HANA! Hana, are you alright!?” I shouted as I held the phone up to my ear, PBG now panicking.”

“ _Y-Yunna!_ ” Hana managed to mumble. “ _I… I remember now! I remember him! I remember PeanutButterGamer!_ ”

My eyes grew wide, relaying the message to PBG and handing him the phone.

“It’s PBG! Yeah… So you believe me now about when I told you that we met before?” 

They then talked for a long time about how they used to play together when they were kids. He had a soft expression on his face I had never seen before. He was clutching to the phone as if it was a lifeline. 

_This is good, right? They found each other after all these years. I should be happy for them… But… why don’t I feel that way?_

“Oh… yeah, I’ll tell her.” PBG then held his hand on the receiving end of the phone. “Hana wants me to tell you your mom needs to talk to you. Something about your dad?”

“Oh, no…” I said as I turned pale, now running back towards the school faster than I ever thought I could, weaving through the crowd at record speeds.

“Yunna!” He shouted, getting tangled in a knot of kids. 

*****************************************************************************************************

I rushed back to my room, opening the door to see Mai still hasn’t came back yet.

“Mom!” I shouted as I looked into my laptop’s camera, now seeing her heavily tanned skin close up. 

“ _Yunna! I’m sorry to call you had to call me so late…_ ” She said as she adjusted the camera. “ _Your father wants to fight for custody of the boys and you again… I swear that man will never learn that he will lose the battle every time. This is, what? The fourth time? I told Hana not to worry about it. I know it is just an empty threat he keeps using to get money out of us, that bastard._ ” I flinch as I hear the harshness of the word. “ _What were you doing that you didn’t answer Hana’s calls?_ ”

I clutched at my racing heart. “I… I was at a festival, Mom. Remember?”

“ _Is that where you lost your phone? We tried calling you back, but someone else keeps answering._ ”

I groaned. “I left my phone with a…”

_My date? Friend? … Crush?_

“My… classmate by accident.” I finished.

“ _Well, just remember to get it back. I’m sorry to ruin your fun._ ”

I shook my head. “It’s okay. You know how important you guys are to me. Just… tell Hana she can text me, next time?”

She laughed. “ _Okay, I’ll let you get back to it. Bye, mija. I love you._ ”

“Love you too, mom.” I said as I clicked away the call. 

I then sent a text to my phone through Skaip to my own phone, telling PBG not to worry about me and to have fun for the rest of the festival talking to Hana and to bring my phone to class with him tomorrow. 

I then checked to see if Kitsune saw my message on how I couldn’t make it to our bi-monthly guild D&D night. He just responded with a simple ‘Okay’ before giving me the summary of what happened now that it was over. I read it to distract myself from thought of Hana and PBG together.

_I should be happy for them… happy…_

I yelped as I heard a knock on my door. “Mai, did you forget your key? You are lucky I was here to…” 

I froze as I saw PBG on the other side of the door.

“Hey.” He said, offering me my phone. 

“Hi…” I said as I took it, noticing the battery was low. “Um… how did you know where I…?”

“Mai told me when she tried to call you.” He answered before I finished.

“Oh… well… thanks.” I said, trying to close the door again before he stopped me.

“Hey, since our time at the festival got cut short, why don’t you come with me and hang out? I have to record PB&J, so maybe you can sit in?”

I thought about it for a minute before giving him the best smile I could. I had to appear normal.

“Sure! That sounds fun!”

_I can’t help but to feel a just a little bit of hope that he could like me..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry to leave the ending like this. The next chapter will be better, I promise!


	2. Love Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunna is sitting in the booth with PBG and Jon. How will the show go? And what will the day afterward be like?

I sat in a chair in the corner as the jingle played, putting my phone on silent in case anyone tried to call me like earlier.

“Aaaand you are on with PB&J, thanks for calling. Whataya wanna talk about?” PBG said smoothly into a professional microphone with a pop filter.

“ _Hi, when is the next episode of Minecraft Hardcore going to come ou-_ ” A boy started to ask before PBG cut off. 

“THANK YOU for your call, we’re out of time for that segment, my bad, so for now you can listen to the lovely styling of an old man playing the ukulele!”

I tried to laugh as I tried not to laugh as I started to hear a pop song, Jon pointing out that wasn’t the song before I had a chance to, making PBG check the listing on his screen.

“Oops…” He sighed, taking a swig of water.

“I applaud you for all of your hard work. I wish more people knew how hard it is to do this kind of thing.” I said as I gave them a one person applause.

“Isn’t it?” Jon stretched as he put his hands behind his back. “A lot of people thing we just sit around talking and playing video games, but you run out of stuff to talk about. No one wants to hear about the twelfth time you spilled ice cream on your principal.”

“You mean... Telling the story of spilling ice cream on your principle, twelve times?” I asked.

“No, this was the twelfth time I spilled ice cream on the principle.” he corrected.

“That’s actually pretty interesting…”

“You get my point.” Jon said as he glanced at the clock.

PBG fiddled with the computer, getting ready to go back on the air. “Ever since I started working here, I began to notice more things. I had to figure out what to talk about, so I started to eavesdrop on the people around me. I became more curious in general. It helps me with ideas to talk about!”

“This guy fancies himself somewhat of an expert in human interaction.” said Jon as he rolled his eyes a little.

“Who?” I asked.

“Me, of course!” PBG said proudly.

I bit my tongue, trying not to let my true feelings show.

_Just because he doesn’t know how you feel doesn’t mean anything…_

“Look at her face!” Jon pointed out, now glaring at him.

PBG’s smile faded. “You don’t think I am?”

I started to panic. “NO! It’s not that! It’s just -”

“Careful, careful.” Jon warned. “The song’s almost over.”

_Thank you, inconvenient timing…_

They both then put their headphones on and got ready to speak again. There was an air of professional tension in the air, making me want to join in. Their eyes dotted everywhere on the papers and screens in front of them, making sure everything was perfect before they began.

“Welcome back!” PBG started, “That was _Take My Star_ by our resident rapper, Yungtown! Gotta love that guy.”

“He is definitely not an old man.” Jon added.

“Nor does he play the ukulele… Unless he does.” PBG shrugged. “We will be taking a few calls, now. Hello, Junebug? You’re on the air with PB&J!”

“ _Oh, wow, really?_ ” Another boy’s voice asked. “ _Cool! So, um… I need some help._ ”

Jon then brought the microphone a little closer to his mouth. “We will do whatever we can to help you. What’s up?”

“ _Well, there is this girl…_ ” The boy started before Jon pushed the mic away, saying he was out. “ _No, wait! I’ve had a crush on this girl for ages and ages, and I don’t know what to do about it! How should I get her attention?_ ”

“Are you friends with her?” PBG asked.

“ _Well, kind of…_ ” They boy replied weakly.

PBG nodded. “Do you talk to her often?”

The boy started to mumble. “ _No, not really._ ” 

“Just try talking to her! I’m sure she won’t bite your head off or anything.” PBG was smiling, knowing exactly how he felt.

“ _I don’t know…_ ”

PBG held back a sigh. “Well, how much do you really know about her if you haven’t talked much?”

“ _She’s pretty!_ ” The boy exclaimed.

I was at the point that I couldn’t hold back my feelings anymore. I then pulled out my phone and started to type out my thought, handing it over for Jon to read. 

“It looks like we have a second opinion.” Jon said after he read how I wanted to be addressed. “This person wants to be referred to as Nurse Amor. They say that: ‘You should be friends with the girl first to see if you really do like her for her and not for the idea of her that you created in your own head. And if you do become friends, she is not entitled to go out with you either. You can ask her out, but that is her choice, not yours.’ ”

“ _Jeeze, this is the worst advice ever..._ “ The boy commented right before he hung up, the dial tone ringing in the booth.

_Jerk… Love is not that easy… I should know._

PBG then switched phone lines. “Next caller!” 

“ _Um, hi. My name is Pickle. How do you know when you’re in love?_ ”

“Woah!” PBG shouted. “Uh, too real! I wouldn’t know what to tell you! I haven’t been in love myself!”

The girl seemed ecstatic now. “ _Really!? You haven’t either?_ ”

“Well… uh…” He said as he glanced over to me then back to the microphone. “Uhm… No, not really.”

I had finished another reply, handing it to Jon again.

“Okay, Nurse Amor says: ‘It’s okay if you haven’t fallen in love yet. Love is something that can hit you like a truck, or come as slow as a snail, and everything in between. Everyone falls in love in different ways and we are all really too young to know what it feels like.”

“ _Oh, thank you! I thought I was the only one!_ ”

PBG then chimed in again. “We’re teenagers. We are too stupid to understand love.”

“ _Thank you! I feel much better. Bye bye!_ ”

“And you said that I wasn’t good at people.” PBG fired.

“I stand by that statement.” Jon deflected. “Next caller!”

“ _Hello._ ” This boy said, “ _I’m leading a double secret life as a popstar here on campus, and I can’t take the secrecy anymore! I want people to know my true passion! I don’t like video games and I love music and magical girls! My name is -_ ”

But before he could say it, the phone hung up.

“Hello, hello!?” Jon asked, fiddling with the phone. “Hm. That voice sounded really familiar…”

“That he did, Jon.” PBG agreed.

I pondered who’s voice it was. I couldn't really pin who it was since they were talking over a low quality microphone. The show continued on with more talking, music, and the occasional question related to Nurse Amor.

“ _Are you going to be a regular on the show now, Nurse Amor?_ ” one caller asked after asking for advice about how to approach a boy on hanging out with her.

I shook my head as I raised one finger, hoping they would get it.

“It appears that we are only having Nurse Amor for a one night guest appearance, ladies and gentlemen.” Jon said for me, yet again. 

“Anyway, I sure have a story for you guys! It all started at a job interview I had...” PBG began.

*****************************************************************************************************

“... so I threw up.” PBG finished.

Jon just looked at him, mouth agape. “That is the best interview story I’ve ever heard.”

“Maybe for you.” PBG pouted.

“Anyways, that’s all the time we have for today, folks! Thanks for tuning in for your spot of nightly neighborhood nutrition.” said Jon.

“This has been PB&J.” they both concluded, making a pose at their desks as they said “Thanks for listening!”

“Phew. Good show today. Thanks for helping out with that tough spot, Yunna.” PBG said as they went off air.

“No problem… That first guy really got on my nerves…” I mumbled. “But it was much more fun after that.”

“I’ll say. Maybe we should just buy some snacks next time and just narrate it.” Jon offered.

“Oh, people will love that.” Said PBG with a grin.

I just shivered. There was nothing worse then someone chewing in your ear. I then thought for a moment as they finished packing their stuff up. 

“Has anyone ever thought that you do this radio show with Jeff?” I asked before thinking about if it was a rude question or not.

“All the time.” Jon sighed.

PBG laughed as he said “Literally every day. But obviously if I did it with Jeff, I would call the show PB&Jiff. Duh.”

I laughed as we then headed back to our rooms for the night.

*****************************************************************************************************

I woke up a bit more groggy then I usually would. The early morning sunlight streamed in as I looked at my phone and saw that I had slept through my alarm again. I didn’t feel like going to school, not after a weekend like that. I saw that Mai was still sleeping. 

_Of course she would still be sleeping if it was 6:45. I would too if I was a normal person._

I eventually pulled myself out of bed and got all the things I would need to use in the bathroom. It was nice a quiet, just how I liked it in the mornings. I showered, fixed my hair, then walked back to my room to find a yellow envelope stuck to the door. I snagged it as I walked inside, putting my used towel and other shower things where they belonged before seeing Mai now waking up.

“Hey, what’s up?” She asked as she yawned. “What’s that?”

“I donno.” I shrugged. “I found it taped to the door.”

“Oooh, a secret admirer already?” She asked with a hand up to her face like an old shojo anime villain.

“I guess. Here you go.” I said as I handed it to Mai.

“Eh, you read it.” she said as she hopped off of the second bunk to the floor. “I need to get ready.”

I undid the envelope and pulled the letter out, feeling the rough parchment paper in between my fingers. “Wow, this is expensive paper…”

She then turned around and looked over my shoulder at the letter. “Look at that! It’s handwritten. _In ink!_ ”

“Someone must have it bad for you, Mai.” I said as I looked at the envelope again.

“I think you mean _you_ , Yunna.” she said as she pulled the letter out of my hands. “That is so cute! Ha, ha! It _is_ a love letter. And better yet, it’s a poem! It’s called ‘Waving… Hello.’ Ugh. No accounting for taste.”

“Rude. Give me that!” I said as I grabbed it back, reading it for myself.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So pretty you are  
You’re kind of like the ocean  
Blue and green water

Forever in your love,  
The Admirer

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It’s… It’s like they are not even trying…” I mumbled.

“Yeah.” Mai agreed. “Who do you think wrote it? PBG?”

“Nah.” I said as I folded the letter back up and stuffed it into it’s envelope again. “He would put much more thought into it. Besides, didn’t I say it’s not for me?”

“It says right here! Your kind of like the ocean.” She said as she gestured at my blue hair.

“Yeah. Blue and green. How do we know they aren’t talking about you when you are in uniform? I don’t have green eyes.” I countered.

 

She then took a moment to think more about the poem. “You know… this poem… It’s kind of generic. You can apply it to anyone.” She sighed. “This is so stupid! Man, what kind of love poem is this!?” Mai shouted as her temper got to her. “You have to be _specific!_ Like ‘I love your effervescent sparkle, and the mole just under your left armpit.’ And you should sign it too! Whoever wrote this isn’t even worth it.”

“I second that, sister.” I said as I gave her a high five. I threw the letter into my junk drawer to let it gather dust.

“... Are you sure it wasn’t PBG?” Mai asked slyly.

“Yes, Mai! I’m sure. It’s just… this doesn’t seem like him, you know?” I frowned.

“Unless this person learns how to write, let’s not even bother.” Mai then walked over to her closet, mumbling. “Jared would write a _way_ better poem then that…”

I then finished getting ready for the day, my thoughts drifting more to PBG than ever.

_I really have fallen for him, haven’t I?_

*****************************************************************************************************

I had just walked into the classroom when I was greeted by PBG, my heart almost stopping from the sudden exposure. He was super excited, smiling brightly. I then felt Mai brush past me, a smile of her own on her face. 

“ _Hehehe… Told you so._ ” she said so softly only I could hear her.

I felt my face turn red as I stuttered my first couple of times I tried to talk. “Um… H-hey, PBG. What’s up?”

“Well, our first game is coming up.” He said, continuing to bounce on the spot.

_See? You overreacted._

“Yeah, I remember you inviting me to come see it.” I nodded.

“Are you still coming?” He asked, Mai snickering in the background.

“Of course I am.” I replied. “I’ll be the one cheering for you the loudest!”

He then slapped his hands together. “Great! That’s great! This will be an adventure! Soccer makes me really happy, so I am glad we can enjoy it together.”

_Eek! My heart! He is so cute! I can’t take it!_

“Me too. Darles un baile.” I said, forgetting the phrase I said was in spanish. 

PBG just looked at me funny. “Huh?” 

“OH! Sorry, that was spanish, wasn’t it? Well, the best I can translate it to is: ‘give them a dance’. It’s a phrase. ‘Be so good that you don’t let the other team show their game.’... if that makes sense… A lot of phrases don’t translate well…” I shrugged. 

“No, I get it. Don’t worry! I won’t let you down!” PBG said as he flashed me a smile. 

“Um… well… good luck!” I said before dashing over to my chair and sat down. 

PBG soon did the same, Mai turning to me. “Isn’t that sweet?” 

I turned away from her, pouting. “That doesn’t count as romantic… besides, that doesn’t prove he wrote the poem.” 

Mai rolled her eyes. “What are you talking about? You heard him over the radio, and you saw how nervous he was now.” 

“He is worried about the game, Mai! Besides, everyone listens to PB&J. It could have been anyone...” I pouted. “Don’t get that confused for pre-game jitters.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Soccer, games, and peanut butter. I get it.” she waved off. 

“I don’t think this has anything to do with literal peanut butter.” 

“But… that’s his actual name!”

“So? Have you seen him eat any? It’s just his name." 

“Well, now that you mention it… no… but…” She admitted. 

The door then slammed open, a very irritable Ms.Shizuka now in the door frame. “Class, you do well to shut yer yaps today, or I will attack you!” She then took a moment to sigh. “You know, there is something precious and beautiful about youngsters finding love…” 

Her scowl then returned with full force, now digging her nails into her desk. “Yes! So beautiful! How can even fifth and sixth graders get together, become gods, and fall in love together… And actually follow through on the promise to fall in love with each other in the future because of their child that meets them in the past!?" 

_She's shouting so loud, I think the classes across campus can hear her…_

“SO FIND SOMEONE TO LOVE WHILE YOU’RE YOUNG, OR ALL THE GOOD MEN WILL BE SNATCHED UP!!!” 

She then grabbed her chalk and started to draw a diagram of Summoner’s Rift. 

_She’s starting with geography… It is going to be a long day… isn’t it?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I changed the Cardcapturer Sakura with a Kamichama Karin reference... Yeah. It's a thing.


	3. First Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunna goes to PBG's first soccer match of the season, gets frustrated when practicing for the tournament, and hangs out with PBG.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

“YEAH! GO! GIVE’EM HELL, PBG!” I screamed as loudly, my voice getting some distance. Asago then scored a point, jumping up and down as I cheered.

“Yunna…” Mai said as she partially covered her face, trying to get me to sit down.

I then shouted something in spanish that thankfully no one would understand.

It was PBG’s - and Asago’s - first soccer game of the season. I was revved up, my inner sports fan letting loose. It was bright and hot, weather that was finally in my element. I estimated it was in the higher eighties, lower nineties in Fahrenheit. You could see the sweat dripping from their bodies as they kept on, their uniforms sticking to their skin as they continued to play.

The score was 1 - 2 to Hatoful High. For some reason I had a burning hatred for the other team even though I had never even known about the school's existence until today. It wasn’t out of spite… I just hated them. Like they had tortured me in a past life. Every now and then, I swear that they looked like birds when they flapped their arms. I was tempted to tell Mai, but I would just look like a crazy person.

“OI! WATCH IT!” I shouted as I then saw the ball roll onto the opponent's side of the field, causing me to shout out more as I watched one of Hatoful’s players kick the ball toward the goal. 

“Ooooooooooooohhhhhh-” The goalie, who looked like someone cloned PBG and made him taller, caught the ball. “Yeah! My man!” I then threw my hands in the air.

“I didn’t know you were so into soccer, Yunna.” Jirard pointed out.

“What can I say? It’s my latin blood that boils for the sport.” I shrugged. 

I watched as PBG switched positions with one of the other boys in the middle of the field. With him being the forward, he has to keep on his guard. Being the main scorer must be tough on him. We then heard the whistle blow for a time-out. 

As he waited, PBG turned to the stands and scanned the crowd. He paused when he spotted me, waving and smiling as we made eye contact. I felt myself turn to mush. It took me a moment to realize my hair was probably a beacon to him, waving back as I shouted “GOOD LUCK! YOU ARE DOING GREAT! I BELIEVE IN YOU!”

He then flashed a second of surprise on his face before smiling again and giving me a thumbs up. My tension flared up as the whistle blew again, signalling the game to continue.

As it neared the end of the game, the score was still 1 - 2 with Asago with the ball. Jeff was traveling up the field with the ball until he was blocked, passing it to Dean in center field. Dean zig-zaged as they kept trying to kick the ball away from him. PBG shouted, Dean now looking at his direction and passing it over to Jeff in panic only to have it intercepted by someone from Hatoful High.

“NO!” I shouted, the timer ticking down its last seconds. Me and the rest of the Asago team started to deflate as the crowd politely clapped, the Hatoful team cheering. The first game of the season was a loss, leaving me heartbroken. I waited for everyone else to leave, not wanting to have to fight to exit the stands. I didn’t feel like standing up after all that build up and let down. 

I sighed, leaning on Mai. “I feel so drained… carry me?” 

“Well, you did shout out more then you have ever talked in school… Get off, your hot...” Mai said as she tried to push me off. “I have never seen you so energetic outside of you playing your silly game you have every week with your online friend of yours…”

“Well, the weather is finally nice and warm. You should be glad it isn’t the 113 degree heat I am used to.” I blew a wet raspberry at her as Jirard, Mai, and I waited for the crowd to subside. When the crowd was thin enough, we headed toward the field. The team was together in a circle, PBG trying to cheer everyone up with a speech on how good everyone did. 

“We should do some more team drills, I think, and a bit more work on our passing so that doesn’t happen again, though. In our next game -” He started to say before Jirard tapped my shoulder. 

“We should head back.” Jirard said as he turned to the school. “When PBG gets like this, it takes him a while to come back to the real world. Once, it took us two hours for us just to get him off the field.”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Mai agreed.

I nodded, a bit sad that I couldn’t talk to PBG. We then saw a pair of yellow and black jackets in front of us. 

“Hey, guys! Bummer about the game.” Luke said as he adjusted his black baseball cap.

“That other team had us on our toes the entire time. I couldn’t believe it!” Wallid said, his slicked back hair reminded me of the Me-Me-Hakusho series.

“Yeah. It was really upsetting. I hope PBG is doing okay.” I said with sadness and a slight rasp in my tone.

A gleam shone in Luke’s eyes, giving a small laugh of amusement. “PBG? He’ll be fine. He always bounces back.”

_I know that look. My brothers give me that look. That is the look of someone plotting…_

“There is always next time, though.” Wallid said, shrugging. “This one shouldn’t hurt us too bad as long as we win the rest of them. No pressure though.”

“Still, it would have been nice to have a buffer…” I mumbled, my throat now starting to feel the sting from all that yelling.

Luke then made an odd noise, now clearing his throat. “Catch you on the flipity flip. We got to go, so like, see ya’ll later.”

“Wait, we do?” Wallid asked, reminding me of one of the Three Doofuses.

“Yeah, dude. Let’s go.” Luke said as he started to lead the way back.

Wallid shrugged. “If you say so. Bye, guys!”

“That was weird…” I commented to Mai and Jirard, both nodding in agreement.

“Don’t mind them, they are always strange.” Mai said as she patted my arm.

Jirard then thought for a moment. “Wait, they were acting weird?”

“Case and point.” Mai said, looking at her phone. “Anyways, it’s time for volleyball practice for me, so I should get going.”

“I got to head out to.” Jirard said before addressing me. “Speaking of practice, have you been keeping up with that puzzle game, Yunna?”

“Everyday since you guys recruited me for the tournament. I’m almost done with the single player campaign. And I play online P.V.P at night.” I boasted. I was very proud of how high I climbed in the leaderboards thanks to all the playtime I have been pouring in. 

“Good. The tournament is only a month away, so give it your best!” Jirard cheered before waving goodbye. I waved back, now heading back to the school myself in a different direction.

*****************************************************************************************************

I decided today’s practice session would be in the cafeteria. I chewed on my straw as I tapped on my phone, getting ready for another match.

“ ** _NekoLily vs. RatedSGames. GO!_** ” the game flashed, a series of furious swipes now on my end. I watched as the blocks fell down onto my screen, enemy reinforcements blocking my view after a few seconds. 

“ ** _Look out!_** ” The game shouted at me as a small group of zombies started to walk toward my girl, making her quiver in fear. I sent my forces to protect her, Dumbildoom now hovering toward my castle. 

_No! Not that!_

“ ** _You lose!_** ” The game concluded, my head now resting against the table as I groaned in agony.

“Hey, what’s wrong, Hana?” Jimmy asked as he sat down next to me.

“I lost a ranking match and now I am down three levels…” I said as I tried to keep my anger bottled up. “I’m such a loser. This is the fourth match I lost today. There is no way that I am good enough for this tournament. I’m just going to embarrass the rest of the Normal Boots guys…”

Jimmy sighed. “Competitive mobile games are rough. Some people do nothing but play these games all day. You’ll get better with practice.”

“I know…” I resigned. “I just feel so frustrated and useless now. I don’t have years to get better like my other games. I have a month...”

Jimmy just looked at me as if I said something he never expected me to, laughing. “That’s awesome, Yunna! I didn’t even know you played other games.”

I glared at him, my gamer pride burning. “Excuse me?”

“Besides, I have never seen you so intense before. You are usually pretty quiet.”

I blushed. “Well, I can’t hold myself back when I get excited… Sorry...”

“No, no, that’s great. This is great! I’m really looking forward to the tournament now. I can’t wait to see what happens between you and Ian.” He then looked around and leaned toward me, his hand covering the side of his mouth. “Don’t tell Ian, but I am rooting for you.” He chucked. He then waved me goodbye.

I sighed as I glanced at the ceiling then back at my phone, the Game Over screen flashing as it showed the winner’s profile picture.

“Back to the grind…” I said as I started up a new game.

*****************************************************************************************************

I was feeling more drained than usual during lunch. I had spend some extra time practicing last night and I wasn’t at my best. I glanced over at Mai who was joking around with Jared, so I got up to dump my tray without her. 

“Yunna!” PBG shouted, my tray almost flying from my hands.

“Y-yes?” I asked, turning to face him.

PBG looked down at me with eager eyes. “I wanted to know what you thought of our game yesterday. I tried to find you, but I think you just left.” He then looked at me with puppy dog eyes. “Did you not like it?” I was unable to talk for a moment, my heart racing again as I was willing myself not to blush. “You didn’t like it, did you?”

I did my best to smile, finally dumping my tray. “I did! It was great! I almost lost my voice from shouting so much.” 

“I knew it! I knew you would like it!” He said with a twinge of pink spreading across his face. “Here, let me get that for you.” He then lifted my tray out of my hands and walked it over to the depository. I slapped my cheeks as I took deep breaths. 

_Okay. Act calm, act calm. If you don’t act calm, he is going to know something is up when he walks back here. Okay, easy, control your breathing. Breath normally. Breath normally. That’ll make you calm._

“Wanna walk to class together?” He asked.

_Oh, god. He’s back._

I gave him a shy nod, walking next to him out to the humid air. It was nice. He then started talking about Hana. How happy he was to have her remember her and recalling the time he had given her a blue feather before she moved. My heart sank.

_That’s a Harvest Noon reference… isn’t it… Does he still have feelings for her?_ I thought, doing my best to smile over what I was really feeling. I had to distract myself, asking the first thing that popped into my mind. 

“Aren’t you hot in that jacket?”

“Oh?” He said as he was lead away from old memories. “These jackets are super fancy. Asago costs so much, and is such a nice school to go to. So they want to reflect that kind of quality. So these jackets are somehow breezy and nice during hot days, but comfy when it gets cold. I super don’t get it.”

We then walked into Poppy hall, my heart still sinking like a stone as I couldn’t help but to think of him and Hana together. 

“Sometimes, people think wearing these jackets are a status symbol.” He continued, his hand now on the door handle. “But they are just too comfortable not to wear!” He then paused, drumming his fingers on the silver metal.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Well, do you want to meet up tomorrow? We can play games or something…” He said before he started to backpedal. “Of course, if you don’t want to, that’s totally fine! You don’t have to. I just thought it would be fun, and I haven’t seen you one-on-one for a while, so…”

My heart started to soar again. “Okay! Where?”

“My room.” He said as he grinned for a moment before gasping. “Oh, but not like that! Just hanging out. Would that be cool?” He fidgeted.

Smiling again, my heart sank. “Yeah, that’s fine. I’d love to.”

I watched as he relaxed, now opening the door to let us inside. “Great. Come over whenever you want. I’ll be around.”

We then walked to our desks on the other sides of the room. I flopped down into my chair, my heart trying to rest from the emotional rollercoaster it was sent on. I heard Jon laugh as he smacked PBG on his arm. 

I looked at Mai who was now blushing red. “Did something good happen?” I waved a hand in front of her face, giving me no response. “Mai?” I snapped my fingers in front of her face now, hoping the sound would do it.

“What? What?” She said, now realizing where she was in reality now. “Yunna! When did you get here?”

“A minute ago. You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Do to! Have you seen this body?”

I laughed, seeing how determined Mai was to keep quiet.

_Okay. Clearly she doesn’t want to talk. Okay. She can keep her secrets as long as I can keep mine._

Ms. Shizuka then walked into the classroom, her rage showing again. “Class, sit down and shut up! Today we are going to be talking about proportions and height differentials and how a height of a woman is _not_ a not good reason not to date her!”

_Here we go again…_

*****************************************************************************************************

I stood in front of PBG’s door, trying to get my head on straight. 

_Okay, Yunna. It’s around noon and he should be up by now. Remember: He only thinks of you as a friend, okay? We are just… friends. Just think of Hana’s happiness. You’ll hear about them going out any day now. Just… ignore it._

I felt a bitterness coming from my soul, knowing that I wanted more but I couldn’t ask for it. I bit my tongue as I readied to knock on his door, a new rush of thoughts flew into my head.

_There is nothing to be nervous about. You hang out with your brothers all the time and nothing happened… but… they’re my brothers. PBG wouldn’t do anything like that. Besides, he has Hana! He couldn’t…. He couldn’t…_

My thoughts then take a dark turn, my face blushing red before turning white as I heard a voice from behind me. 

“Hey, is… is something wrong?” Jeff asked as he stood over my shoulder.

“N-no!” I said as I looked at him like a deer in headlights.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his hands on his hips now. 

“P-PBG asked me to hang out in his room…” I replied, seeing him now tilt his head and agreeing with me.

He then stood there, staring at me for about a minute or two before he laughed. “I’ll see you later, Yunna.” Jeff then casually walked off.

_Why does everyone keep looking at me that way!?_

I turned back to the door, about to knock when PBG opened it, talking to his phone. 

“- and I’ll get some cookies, that’ll be good-” he said before he stopped an inch short before bumping into me. “I’ll talk to you later, Hana.” 

“H-hey! I’m here!” I said as I smiled, my heart breaking.

“Woah, yeah, there you are!” He replied, putting his phone in his pocket. “I almost thought you weren’t coming.”

“I didn’t want to get here too early…” I said as I felt hot shame course through my body.

“No, you are right on time.” He said as he offered me inside. “Come on in.”

“Weren’t you going somewhere?” I asked as I leaned over a little to look into the room.

“Hm?” He then thought for a moment. “OH! No, I don’t need to go anywhere now that you are here. Sorry that I don’t have any cookies for you, though.”

“If I would have known, I would have made something for us to snack on.” I muttered, “What kind of hang out session would it be without snacks? We can go get some now!”

He smiled. “Sure, let’s go!” 

*****************************************************************************************************

We cruised the aisles of the student store, seeing all the variety of potato chips, cup noodles, pre-packaged food, and other tasty snacks they had. I grabbed a melon flavored ramune and followed PBG as he was muttering to himself. 

_Even he can be serious. Friends, soccer, even snacks. Hana is so lucky…_

“No… not those either.” He muttered. “...unhealthy. Is it too much to ask for-”

I gasped as I saw a snack I hadn’t seen in years. “OHMYGOSH!” I grabbed the bag of Konpeito off the shelf, almost crying.

PBG jumped and spun towards me, remembering I was with him. “What’s so special about that?” He asked as he looked at the star shaped candy.

“I haven’t seen these since I was a kid! I would get them every time my mom would take me to the Zanrio store that was in our mall. I have never seen a bag this big!” I then ran my thumb over the clear panel of the bag. “When I was eight, they had to close down and I haven’t had any since…”

“Well, let’s get them then.” He said as he finally picked out a bag of barbeque flavored potato chips. By the time I had gotten my money out to pay for my drink and the candy, he and already payed for everything. I mumbled a thanks as he handed me my ramune and candy.

_This isn’t a date… He is just being a good friend…_

*****************************************************************************************************

“Okay!” He said as we finally made it back to his room, now going over to a shelf by the TV and pulling out a bunch of games. I sat on the floor, the Oui in front of us as he displayed his choice of games. “We have Marionette Party and Stupendous Stomping Sisters.”

I remember reading about those games online when I was deciding on if I wanted a console instead of upgrading to a new laptop. Marionette Party was basically a board game with a bunch of mini-games instead of cards telling you what happens when you land on some spaces. And I had already played SSS. 

After some thought, I pointed at Marionette Party. My last lost in SSS was still stinging. “This one.”

“Fine by me.” He said, now putting the disk into the console. We each then picked our characters, watching as he set up a match for two. The board was a lot like the first stage in Super Nario.

“Yes! Yesyesyesyes!” I shouted as I won mini-game after mini-game, PBG shocked.

PBG grimaced as I urged Princess Apricot pushed his Nario into a pit of lava as I motioned with my Ouiremote. “I thought you said you don’t play console anymore! You are way too good with motion controls.” 

“Well, not anymore. The last console I had is a Oui. I got one of the very first ones that came out. Still have it too. And it works. My brothers are probably happy I’m not home to win all the time.” I boasted in time for him to push me onto a red space. “HEY! No fair!”

“All’s fair in this game, Yunna.”   
“Oh, is that how we are going to play it? Fine. No more mercy…”

“You were showing mercy!?”

I then laughed. Not just any laugh. An _Evil_ laugh. When my turn came next, I activated one of the special abilities I had earned in a previous mini-game that gave me three dice instead of one. I waited for the dice block to roll over a couple of times before smashing the A button, all the dice landing on a six. Princess Apricot then zoomed forward, landing on a Star Space. 

PBG gasped. “That’s it. No more fooling around.”

From then on, the game was greweling. We kept sabotaging each other at every opportunity. He took my stars when I took his coins. It was a no-holds match. PBG slowly caught up to me, our scores now neck and neck. After what seemed to feel like forever, the last mini-game finished and the results were shown.

**_”Princess Apricot Wins!”_** the game shouted.

“Awww, yeah!” I said as I jumped up from the floor and did a small victory dance.

PBG was still on the floor, staring at the screen at amazement. “What just happened?”

I then finished my dance, sitting back down on the floor. “I won. That’s what happened.”

“I won the last mini-game! How did I lose?”

“I donno.” I shrugged. He then glared at me, making me realize how rough I was being. “Oh… um… sorry…”

He sighed. “Don’t apologize for beating me… jeez… You are a lot better at games then you let everyone else believe.”

“I’m just okay…”

“Then why didn’t you get a single win in SSS?”

“I suck at SSS. It is the only game that my brothers ever really had a fair chance at winning against me...”

“Let’s play that then…”

“Huh?”  
“I can teach you how to play right so you can win next time.”

I blushed. “You would really do that for me?”

“Of course!” He said as he switched disks, the Stomping Sisters theme now starting to play. He then switched the Ouiremotes over to one that looked more like the Super Gintendo 64 controllers and choosing Turbie as my character for me before we started the match.

The game then counted down, the match starting and the two of us holding still. 

“Okay, move around and get a feel for Turbie. He is the easiest to learn.” he instructed. 

I did as I was told, soon the two of us actually having a real match. I was able to knock him off a few times, but our games always ended up in ties or with PBG winning. But at last, I was victorious. 

“One more time!” I shouted, happy I had finally won against him. 

“All, right. There is no way you are winning this round, though!”

I was really starting to get a hang of controlling Turbie, using his hammer to slam PBG’s pikachomp clear across the stage.

“I can see why my twin brothers wanted the 4DS version of this game now. It’s actually fun. I’m glad I bought it for them now.”

“You bought your brothers 4DS’s?” He asked. 

I waited until I was able to run away from his electric attacks to respond. “Yeah. The twins kept begging my Mom to buy it for them for months. I got tired of it one day and decided to buy a bundle pack of the lower end 4DS for each of them with the allowance I saved up. I was originally saving up to buy a new laptop, but seeing my brothers happy was worth it. They bought the game with their own money, though.” 

“And I guess they returned the favor. They sent me my own 4DS when my mom sent me a care package. No game included either.” I then let down my guard, Turbie now tumbling off the edge. I laughed as I thought of the 4DS that they bought for me.

“Oh, that’s adorable.” He said as Turbie then ground stomped him into a pancake.

“Isn’t it? It’s the first gift they have ever gotten for me. So I haven’t played with it much. But it’s too bad I can’t play anything other than the mini-games that come with it.”

“You should borrow one of my games!” He suggested.

“Oh, I couldn’t do that! What about your saves?”

“It’s okay! I can always start over.”

I thought about it for a moment, shaking my head. “No. Knowing me, I’ll just get distracted from practicing for the tournament. Maybe afterwards.”

“Hmmmm. I guess so.” He agreed.

With one last move, I hit pikachomp with a low kick, sending him soaring off-screen. 

“ ** _GAME!_** ”

“Man, not again.” PBG grumbled. “I know I am bad at games, but this is ridiculous! Okay, no more distractions, let’s go!”

I started to realize how bad PBG was at video games after a few more matches. He started to lose every time now that I knew how to use the controls properly now. 

_Everyone has their game. This one probably isn’t his…_

“Hey, can you hand me some Konpeito?” He asked after another brutal loss. “I wanna try some.” 

“No, they’re mine.” I pouted, now hugging the small bag.

“Come on, please?” He pleaded.

I sighed. “Okay, fine. Only because I like you…” I said as I started to hand him a few pieces, the realization of what I just said finally sinking in when I saw him blushing a little. “I don’t mean that kind of like!” I started blushing red as well. “I-I-I mean like a friend! Yeah! Just f-f-friends!” I then threw in a few pieces of Konpeito in my mouth. “Sorry for winning all the time…” I added.

He looked deeply into my eyes. “No! You’re not allowed to feel bad for beating me, understand? If you are awesome at something, be awesome at it. Screw everyone else! And as long as we had fun, nothing else matters.”

I nod, rolling the stars of sugar around in my mouth.

I then watched as he fiddled with the candy I handed to him. “I’m… really glad you came over, Yunna. I mean it. This was nice…”

I nodded again, continuing to look at my controller. I didn’t have the courage to look up to see the expression he was making. “M-me too…” I then looked up, my curiosity killing me. He was beaming at me, his smile big and genuine.

“Good lord!” I heard Jon scream from the top bunk, now rolling over to the side as he pulled his headphones off. I could feel the blood in my body boil as I turned scarlet, watching Jon throw a pillow at PBG and smacking him in the face. “Get a room!”

PBG was hit with enough force to cause him to fall over. I was conflicted on helping PBG and shouting ‘We are in a room!’ innocently at Jon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think Yunna dances the victory dance from Psychonauts. Thanks again for reading!


	4. Vague Love Notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunna gets some strange love notes and PBG gets hit with a devastating loss.

Four hours later, I got back to my dorm. I couldn’t remember the last time I had so much fun! I wouldn’t mind doing it again. I hovered in front of my door, an uneasy loneliness settling in. 

_We haven’t been apart for more than half an hour and I already miss PBG… I really do have a crush on him, don’t I? But… I’ll wait it out. Maybe Hana and him really are only friends and I am overreacting. Yeah. I can wait a bit longer._

I smile, humming softly as I finally open the door. “Mai, I’m back!”

“Hey! Welcome back to Earth!” She greeted. “How was your trip? You were gone for _days._ ”

“Stop exaggerating!” I said as I swatted her shoulder, now seeing the paper in her hands. “What’s that?”

She then handed me the paper. “Take a look at this.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Red Flower_

A flower, it needs some sunlight indeed  
Before it grows up, it starts as a seed  
Its potential is great, but first there is fear  
A shadow a shadow that is wandering near

“Will it blossom?” I wonder… my heart is so pure  
This relationship flower is a…….. metaphor  
‘Cause if it shall grow, from the falling rain  
Her red petals emerge, sweeping over my heart’s terrain

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Another one? Really?” I asked as I held the letter at arm’s length. “It’s just as bad as the last…”

Mai sighed. “And just as vague. At this rate we will never figure out who wrote them - or who they are for.”

“These notes are starting to freak me out…” I said after putting the poem down. “It’s probably someone pranking us.”

“Well,” she said as she leaned over my shoulder. “It is bad enough for it to be a joke… but that is a lot of effort just to make fun of us. It’s not like they can see our reactions, so what’s in it for them?”

“Maybe it’s a set up? Like they will invite us to confess and get us then?”

Mai laughed. “You think they wanted to make us to fall in love with them? If they did, they would have come up with something better then this baloney. There is nothing we can do about it short of interrogating everyone we know now, so we might as well leave it alone.”

I shrugged as Mai walked over to her desk and pulled out a self-help book on relationships and getting noticed by Senpai. “Yeah.” I sat on my bed as I thought about what we could do. “You think one of the girls could have seen whoever has been sending the notes?”

_I am the kind of person who could wait for the world to end if it meant that I could get something I really wanted. But this is the kind of situation that we can’t let sit. What if it gets worse then a few poems? What if we are being stalked?_

 

“Ha!” Mai said in a haughty voice. “If anyone saw it, they would have taken it first and read it. Or they would have already been asking about it. The girls here are just too nosey, and we live close enough together for them to let it just be.”

“Yeah, you're right.” I agreed, grabbing my cellphone and starting a new game. 

_I need to keep practicing. I need to get gud. The tournament is four weeks away. Don’t get distracted by poems…_

“How’s hanging with PBG?” Mai asked as she finally looked up from her book.

_... or boys._

“It was… fun.” I blushed, trying to keep an eye on my energy meter.

“Hmmmm?” Mai was staring me down.

My phone vibrating as a call was coming through. “Hang on.” I answered, not really getting a chance to see who was calling. “Hello?”

“ _Hello!_ ” Sang a voice I hadn’t heard in forever.

“Violet! Hey!” I said, now putting the phone on speaker. “How’s tricks?”

“ _Good! I’m actually here with Hana._ ”  
I waved Mai over. “That’s great! I’m in my dorm with Mai right now. Say hi, Mai!”

They both shouted hello to each other. 

“ _You better be looking out for my best gal pal, Mai. I know she is a handful and she can be harder to get her out of her shell then a turtle, but she is a great person._ ”

“Don’t worry. I am.” Mai said, grinning. “In fact, I was trying to get her to tell me about her date with a boy named PBG…”

“It’s not a date! We are just friends!” I shouted, blushing red.

“ _I know you’re blushing, Yunna! Don’t deny what’s inside!_ ” Violet said, laughing.

“ _Come on, leave her alone. They said they are just friends!_ ” Hana said, hearing a slight scuffle over the phone.

“ _And why are you getting so defensive about it?_ ”

“PBG and Hana are childhood friends. Can you blame her?” I said, shaking my head at Mai.

“ _That’s right. We are just FRIENDS!_ ” Hana shouted.

Mai laughed along with Violet. “Tell me, Yunna, did he mirror any of your movements? In any way?”

“Mirror...? Why would I pay attention to something like that?” I then looked at the book she was reading. “You got it from that book, didn’t you?!” The three of them then laughed at me. “It’s not funny!”

I could feel myself blushing as I thought back to earlier. How he had gotten so close without me freaking out about it. How I wanted to lean against him. How he made me feel safe. I shook my head hard. “I’m going to bed! Good night, girls!”

“ _You’re no fun, like always, Yunna._ ” Violet said before she said good night.

“ _Sorry if we kept you up!_ ” Hana chimed in. “ _Good night!_ ”

I said one last good night before hanging the phone up. I then changed into my nightgown.

“Are you sure you don’t like him?” Mai poked one last time.

“For the last time, we are just friends!” I shouted as I climbed under the covers.  
Mai grinned. “Okay, okay, you are just friends. But you didn’t say nooooo!”

“Good night, Mai!” I then covered my head, blocking out the light, the warmth of my sheets enveloping me and lulling me to sleep.

_Can I be any more obvious? Man. Did she think PBG could have a crush on me? There is no way. I see how he talks about Hana sometimes… but… Today… No. I’m thinking too hard. Just… go to sleep. You can figure it later… MUCH, much later._

*****************************************************************************************************

Asago was playing another game today. They were playing seriously, no longer having the option of losing another game. The score was 1 - 1 and it was almost halftime.

“GOOOO PBG!” I cheered, my voice already starting to feel sore.

“And people think I’M loud.” Mai commented behind me.

“I should have brought ear plugs…” Paul said as he tried covering his ears.

PBG called everyone into a huddle. I watched nervously. “I hope nothing like last time happens.”

“None of us do.” Mai said, crossing her arms. “And if it does happen, it’s okay. It’s only high school soccer.”

Paul laughed. “Don’t let PBG catch you saying that. He is more than just the captain of the soccer team you know. He can be a little obsessive. It’s better if we win, for everyone’s sake.”

I nodded, Mai asking “Care to elaborate?”

Paul then shook his head and pointed to the field, the game now resuming. Asago was now taking their position on the field. As time went on, no one was able to score. There was one minute left on the clock and Dean had the ball, going down center field. A pair of players then surrounded him. It wasn’t the best place to be in and Dean wasn’t the best player to be in a panic. 

PBG then raised his hand and called out to Dean, who was able to pass the ball to him perfectly this time.

“YEAH! PBG! YOU CAN DO THIS!” I shouted, praying that PBG could get the ball and make the shot to give them the lead. My heart dropped as the crowd watched as the ball slipped in between his legs and in the possession of the other team. The rest of the Asago team then raced to take back the ball as PBG stood there in shock. “PBG! GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE CLOUDS AND GET MOVING!”

“MOVE, PBG!” Mai joined in, “They’re going to score on us, come on!!!”

But he didn’t move and halftime was called. McJones finally snapped PBG out of his stupor by patting him on the shoulder. His eyes grew wide as McJones slowly pushed him over to the bench and sat him down. 

“God, that did not go well.” Paul said, exasperated. 

“They can still come back from it.” I said, hopefully.

Paul shook his head. “Yeah, _they_ can. Let’s hope they win.”

As the halftime bell rang, everyone else took the field - without PBG. He sat on the bench with his hand covering his mouth.

_I feel so sorry for him. I wish there was something I could do…_

As the game continued, it was easier for PBG to catch plays from the other team on the sidelines, calling timeouts and guiding Asago to victory! Even if his playing didn’t.

“I’m going to go down and see how PBG is doing and congratulate him.”

“Should we? I mean, he seems kind of out of it. Maybe we should give him some space?” Mai asked.

“You guys can if you want. I need to work on my campaign.” Paul said with uncertainty in his tone, waving goodbye.

“Okay, catch you later.” I said as Mai and I walked down toward the field where PBG was finishing his speech. 

“- amazing! I’ve never been prouder. We’ve never been more of a team then today. Go have fun tonight. Tomorrow, we will have practice, same as usual. We’re going after the Moirai Strikers next week, so we can’t let ourselves be complacent! See you guys then!” PBG said before he dismissed the team and walked toward the bench. 

For a moment, I saw an expression I never seen him have before. Then he saw us. “Oh, you came again.”

“Of course I came again. How could I not? Good game, by the way.” I smiled.

PBG laughed. “Yeah, the team did great, didn’t they?”

“All thanks to your direction.” I said as I tried to cheer him up.

He shook his head. “There is no telling what could have happened if… the team did very well...”

_It’s still bothering him. I know it._

I nodded. “Okay then. Well, I just wanted to say congrats. Meet up with you later?”

“Yeah. Sure. I have lots of… homework I need to catch up on anyway. Later.” he waved as he picked up his duffel bag and left the field.

Mai looked at me, her mouth wide open. “That’s not where Bluebell House is…”

“Yeah, he needs his space right now.” I said as I pulled on Mai’s sweater vest. “I know just how he feels. I feel so helpless in helping him right now...”

Mai smiled at me. “You are growing up so fast, Yunna.” She then patted my head.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Mai? … Mai?”

She then slapped my back, pushing me toward campus. “Come on, dinner is almost over and I want a hot dog.”

“Who do you think you are, Snas?”

*****************************************************************************************************

The first few days passed and everything seemed okay. PBG seemed to be acting normal for the most part. Classes were getting harder as midterms grew closer, unsure if this ramping of difficulty was because of the subject matter or if it was Ms. Shizuka.

“Miss Santos, sit up straight!”

“Yes, Miss Shizuka, sorry!”

Her anger only doubled the more time passed. Mai said another guy had dumped her, but I wasn’t too sure if that was the case. 

_Not unlike most university schools in the U.S., Asago Academy had a reputation to uphold. It was a school where the rich and famous sent their children to, after all. They would accept scholarship students to help boost the average from the students who got in with money. The other students were allowed in by the trifecta: beauty, talent, and smarts. More well-to-do families would sent them elsewhere if Asago fell in the rankings. So of course mid-terms were a big deal._

The entire class then started to ear snoring, looking around the room to see who was sleeping.

_What kind of idiot falls asleep in class other than me?_

The source ended up coming from PBG, his head resting on his desk.

_Why did he fall asleep? It’s not like he has to stay up to talk to his family like I do… And with no late Normal Boots or soccer practices… There is no reason for it..._

I waved over to Shane, nodding as he started to prod PBG awake. 

“Hmmm… turnips.” He mumbled as he simply turned his head to the other side. I watched in horror as Ms. Shizuka walked up to his desk and slammed a ruler across the surface and snap him awake.

“I do believe you need some assistance staying awake, Mr. ButterGammer.” She sneered as she pointed to the back of the room. 

“Uh, no… sorry… I was up late… studying… and…” He mumbled.

“QUIET!” She shouted, now bending over him so closely I thought they would kiss. “I hate men who lie. Maybe standing in the back of the classroom will keep you awake!” The then backed off and pointed to the back of the classroom again.

“Yes, ma’am.” He moaned, now taking his place in the back, giggles flittering around as he did.

“It sounds like some others would like to join him.” Ms. Shizuka threatened, the class quiet again. “If I hear any more interruptions, you will all have a twelve page paper due tomorrow morning.”

“Holy shit!” Mai exclaimed, my elbow hitting her side to urge her to stay quiet.

The rest of the class reached a silent pact to not do anything to land everyone extra homework. I had never felt so connected with everyone in Asago then I did right now. PBG stood in the back, still as a board and staring at the blackboard. I would too if I had to stand in class. 

_How… How is he not blinking?_

I waited for the coast to be clear when the bell rang, walking up to PBG. As I got closer, I now noticed what was off. He had drawn eyes on his eyelids. I was amazed how he drew them on his eyelids as much as he was sleeping standing up. 

“Hello, PBG? Time to wake up.” I said as calmly as I could. After a moment of him not responding, I panicked and shoved him.

His eyes snapped open. “AAAAI DIDN’T MEAN IT! PLEASE, DON’T TAKE PIXEL!”

I giggled as I waved my hand in front of him. “Hey, there.”

“Wha…?” He blinked a few times before looking at me. “Oh, Yunna. Good morning! It’s so nice to see you right when I wake up. Man, this day is going to be good.”

I coughed a little as I tried to make my blush go away. “Um… it’s lunchtime. You are already in class…”

“Oh, so we are.” He realized as he looked around. 

“Are you doing okay? Do you need help with studying or having trouble sleeping?”

He shook his head, giving me a big grin. “Nope.”

I gave him a look. “Um… okay… Hey, who’s Pixel?”

“Huh?”

“Who’s Pixel? You kind of shouted about someone taking them.”

“Oh, uh...”

Jon laughed behind us. “I thought you were doing the eye thing again.”

“Again?” I asked Jon. “You mean this isn’t the first time?”

“Yeah. Falling asleep standing up is PBG’s specialty.” He said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “You see, there was this one time we were crossing the Atlantic on a boat, and I needed a coat rack for Jacques to sleep on… So I just used him.”

“And you were okay with that!? He is your friend! I would understand if he affiliated himself as a coat rack, but…”

Jon shrugged. “It was only for three weeks.”  
“Three…?” 

“I gave him bathroom breaks. What do you think I am, a monster.”

PBG glanced at the clock as he yawned. “I think I am going to take lunch by myself today. If I take a nap now, I can last through the end of class.”

“You sure? I can act as lookout.” I offered. “You never know if the Continue boys or Hidden Block might take this as an opportunity to draw on your face.”

“Again.” Jon added.

PBG shook his head. “No, I’m fine. Thanks, though.” He then walked out of the classroom. 

I sighed. “Jon, has he been sleeping well?”

“Hmm, yeah. I think so. It’s just sleep, Yunna. Half of the kids here are sleep deprived, so don’t be worried.”

“Yeah, including myself…” I said as I thought back to last night as I was playing Hana again. She had gotten really good so fast, so I had to use everything I knew to keep up. 

_The opposite time zones we live in suck…_

“This happens every now and again. In a while, he will be back to normal. Come on, let’s go get lunch.”

_I hope you are right._ I thought as I followed him to the cafeteria.

As we entered the cafeteria, I noticed PBG was nowhere in sight. 

_He wasn’t too ahead of us, but he still isn’t here. Is he skipping meals to sleep? I hope not. Maybe I should make him lunch next time? That way he has no excuse but to eat… I hate worrying so much about him…_

*****************************************************************************************************

“Hey, Yunna?” Mai asked as we were heading to our room at the end of the day. 

“Hm?”

“We haven’t gotten any more notes from your secret admirer lately, huh?” she asked as she pushed open the door.

“I thought we established that it’s your admirer.”

“Sure…” Mai said as she rolled her eyes. “Eh, you win some you lose some.”

“Well, I am glad we lost this one.” I said as I entered the room behind her.

“Let’s get started on those brain exercises. I don’t like the fact I am 90.” she said bitterly.

*****************************************************************************************************

“UGH! I hate this!” She shouted at a piece of paper on her desk as her hands threatened to tear her hair out. “Why does anyone need Calculus? Who uses Calculus? Who uses school!?”

“Astrophysicists for one.” I answered as I was having trouble of my own.

“That. Was. Rhetorical.” She said as she tried to fan herself off. 

For some reason, Asago decided to turn the heater on a relatively cool night. I was fine since I was used to the heat, but Mai was finding it hard to cope. We were coated with sweat, our clothes sticking to us. But my brain was so overheated I didn’t want to work on it anymore either.

“We should go for a walk.” I suggested.

Mai stood and walked to the door. “Way ahead of you.”

We both stretched as we enjoyed the cool night air, a soft breeze passing by us. It was after curfew, so no one was really wandering around campus. We were rounding the corner to Bluebell House when Mai pointed out a strange noise. After a bit, I heard it too. We then walked toward the sound that seemed to be coming from the soccer field. 

“No one is supposed to be out this late…” Mai commented before stopping me. “Look!” She then pulled me behind a bush.

“Is that… PBG?” I asked as I looked over the bush, seeing his familiar frame in his normal clothes. He stood in the middle of the field, bouncing the ball off of his arms, head, and legs over and over again. “He’s… practicing…”

Suddenly, he sent the ball soaring and chased after it, kicking it into the goal with one swift motion. “Damnit.” He groaned, running the ball back to the middle and kicked it in again. “DAMNIT!”

I felt myself tear up. We shouldn’t be watching him when he was trying so hard to hide his anger from us. He then pulled out his phone, dialing a number. “Hey, Hana…” He said, stepping on the ball with his feet.

“Mai, let’s go.”

“But…” She muttered, looking back at PBG. 

_I can’t listen to this right now._

“Let’s. Go.” I mumbled, pulling on her arm as he turned to chase the ball, now facing away from us.

As we ran up the hill, I felt my slipper slip, letting off a yelp as I started to slide down. Mai was able to grab me in time to stop my descent, tugging on my arm.

“Yunna, come on! Let’s GO!”

I was able to stand back up and scramble back up the hill. I took a glance back, PBG now only a small spot in the middle of the field, looking at our direction. He wasn’t moving or trying to stop us. We made our way back to the dorm without a word.

“You think everything will be okay?” Mai asked.

“I hope so.” I said sadly, now climbing back up the stairs.


	5. Worries and Injuries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PBG gets hurt, Yunna overhears a conversation, and there is a plan to go to the hot springs.

PBG was shoving books into his locker. I waited for him to finish and walk into the classroom before I attempted to go to mine. I placed a small bundle on the top shelf, yawning. I had decided to make a lunch for myself instead of playing Access this morning. 

We have been avoiding each other since the incident at the field. He didn’t want to talk to me at all, and I could understand why. I had seen him in a very vulnerable state. Anyone would be mad. I did the best I could despite being in the same class.

“Is it still bothering you?” Mai asked.

I just looked away. I hadn’t spoken in days.

“Maybe you should try talking to someone else about it if talking to PBG isn’t working.”

I looked across the classroom, seeing Shane, PBG, and Jon giggling about something that he drew. I turned my head away from them, shaking my head ‘no’.

*****************************************************************************************************

A few days later, I bumped into Shane and Jon as they headed to class, PBG nowhere in sight.

My voice cracked as I called them over from lack of use. “H-hey!”

They turned in my direction. “Oh, Yunna!” Jon said, smiling. “I haven’t seen you in a while. What’s up?”

Shane didn’t say hi.

“Well…” I mumbled as I knitted my fingers together. “How’s PBG doing? Is he eating? Is he sleeping okay? He has been working really hard lately…”

“Really? He seems fine to me.” Jon said. “I’m usually in the theater, so I haven’t been around much. He’s working harder than usual… but…”

“He seems to be tired.” Shane stated.

“So, you haven’t noticed anything else? I...” I paused for a moment, deciding it should be okay to talk about this to them. “I accidently saw him practicing really late one night. And he saw me… I got really worried…”

Shane sighed. “This again?”  
I looked up at him, my face making an expression as if for him to continue.

“When PBG has something he really cares about, he works extremely hard at it.”

“So, this has happened before?” I asked.

Jon shook his head. “Well… from what you are saying, it sounds more extreme than usual. But yes, it has happened before. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

I nodded, fighting the tears that were in my eyes as I looked at the ground.

_They known him longer then I have. All I can do is trust him. I just pray he doesn’t stress himself out too much…_

I then felt something soft touch the top of my head. I looked up to see Shane smiling at me as he patted the top of my head. “Trust him.” He said. “I know you care a lot about PBG, but he isn’t a little boy anymore. He can take care of himself.” 

A nervous giggle slipped out, a smile growing on my face. “O-okay.”

Shane then turned and left, Jon still in shock as he noticed he was walking away. 

“Hey! Wait for me!”

I took a deep breath, Luke hurrying past me.

“Yunna! You better hurry up or you’ll be late for class!”

“OH!” I said as I snapped out of it. “Thank, Luke!”

I dashed behind him, entering the classroom just in time for the bell to ring. I collapsed into my seat, fanning myself. I glanced to see PBG’s seat empty. I tried to pay attention to class, but I couldn’t help but to think of PBG.

*****************************************************************************************************

I watched the door as the next day began. Sure enough, the bell rang and no PBG was in sight. 

“Yunna, are you okay?” Mai asked as carefully as she could to not set me off. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

I nodded, remembering the last few nights that I talked to Hana.

_She said that he always depended on her when he was younger. But he hasn’t called her since that night. And she refuses to tell me anything they talked about. What if he is just bottling everything up?_

“Good work everyone. You are excused.” Ms. Shizuka said. “Except for you, Marcus.” She then placed a paper on the attractive boy’s desk. “I’ll be seeing you in my office.” She then winked at him and waltzed out of the room.

“Holy crap.” Mai gasped. “It finally happened. Shizuka’s finally going to hit on a student!”

I laughed for the first time in a while. “No way.”

“Come on, Yunna!” She said as she pulled me from my seat. “There is no way I am missing this! We’ll have enough time to peek and eat lunch if we hurry!”

“That’s okay. I need to talk to Jon first. You can fill me in on what happens.”

“Ugh. Seriously?” Mai’s frown then turned into a grin. “Maybe Jared would want to come with me…”

I watched as she left the classroom, now approaching Jon. “Hey, Jon?”

“Oh heeeeey! Hi, Yunna. What’s up?”

“It’s… It’s about our conversation yesterday… PBG still hasn’t shown up to class. I was wondering if something was wrong…”

“Hmmm… your right. He usually sneaks in by now. Well, if you want, we can go up and check on him if you want. Last I saw him, he was sleeping in his room.”

“Okay! Just let me grab something really quick.” I thanked him, my mood brightening up. Together, Jon and I made our way across campus after I grabbed the lunch I originally made for myself. As we walked up the stairs, I finally noticed something that was missing.

“Hey, Jon? Where did Jacques go?”

He froze in place. “J-Jacques? Oh. He’s… he’s… he’s fine. He’s installing a new update. To get a cybertronic beak that can carve through raw iron. You know I can’t leave him out of the loop, the little guy. All the cool birds have them.”

“That sounds cool. I hope you guys show me when he is finished.” I said, deciding not to ask any more questions. He was obviously lying but he didn’t seem to want to talk about it.

“Here we are!” Jon said as he closed the door behind us after we entered. PBG was fast asleep, curled up like a cat on his bed.

_Is it creepy that I want to take a picture of his sleeping face?_

“Wake up, Beauty Queen!” Jon shouted as he dramatically pulled the sheets off of him. PBG just shifted over. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Jon then climbed over his soccer bag and started to poke him. “Wake up! Come on!”

“No!” PBG finally said. “I’m tired. Leave me alone.”

“If you don’t come to class, you are going to get kicked out of school. Do you want that?” Jon bardered.

“Leave me alooooooonnnnneeeeeee.” PBG moaned, curling tighter. 

Jon had enough, now swatting his face with a pillow. “NO! Come ON!!”

“Noooooo!” He shouted, now curling up tighter now that his cover was taken away only to start flailing around like a toddler that was told he couldn’t have a toy in the store. “I don’t wanna go to school! I’m sleepy! Let me sleep!”

I tried not to laugh.

_He is like my brothers on the first day of school._

Jon sighed. “Oh man, this is awful.” He then turned to me. “I’m sorry, Yunna. Can you leave us alone for a minute.”

“ _Yunna!_ ”

PBG then bumped his head on Jon’s bunk as he tried to sit up. “OW!”

“Hahahaha! That was awesome!”

PBG glared at Jon. “Shut up! Leave me alone! I’m up, okay? I’m up!”

Jon then pointed his thumb at me. “Well, Yunna was worried, so we came to get you.”

I shyed away as I tried to hide in the entryway. “Pardon the intrusion…”

“Yunna… I…” He trailed off, the tips of his ears turning pink. “I’ll be in class after lunch, okay?”

“O-okay… Um… here. You can have this.” I nodded as I handed him the lunch then started to walk out the door, satisfied with his answer. I then headed to the cafeteria.

*****************************************************************************************************

When I walked back into the classroom, I saw Mai sitting deflated on her desk.

“I can’t believe this. It was a total fluke.” She said with her hands on her crossed legs. “Shizuka was giving him some college internship application. That’s why she winked. I totally thought they were going to get it on too.”

“Oh, well. Maybe next time, Mai.” I said happily, sitting at my desk.

“What are you grinning about, anyhow?”

“Nothing!” I said as PBG entered the classroom, my plastic container in his hands. 

He then walked over, handing them to me. “T-thanks for the lunch.” He managed to say before giving me a thumbs up. He then walked back over to his desk.

“Oh, you lovebirds.” Mai said as soon as he was out of earshot.

“No! It’s not like that! I swear!” I said, feeling myself blush as I tucked my containers into my desk.

“Yeah, yeah. Let me know when it get’s juicy.”

_I’m glad PBG has been going to class lately even though he is so tired. It hurts me not talking to him much, but he needs all the energy for class. I’m worried that he hasn’t eaten much at lunchtimes, though… I just wish someone other than me would worry. Even Hana doesn’t care, no matter how many times I call her! If only I had realized sooner that a big game was coming up. If Asago could win this game, they would have a lot more wiggle room later down the line up until the finals. I still don’t get it, but they have a better chance! I can’t stand watching PBG get more anxious as the game inches closer…_

*****************************************************************************************************

“He’s not here…” I mumbled as I glanced at the other side of the classroom.

“What’s going on?” Luke asked as Ian followed him.

I sighed. “It’s the second day he hasn’t come to class…”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He said as he casually looked over at PBG’s seat.

I made a deeper sigh.

“Don’t be sad.” Ian said as he rolled his eyes. “As long as he is not hurting himself, there’s no problem. He can make his own decisions. You’ve got yourself to worry about. The tournament is coming up and it isn’t going to win by itself.” I watched as he grinned at me.

_It’s been kind of hard to practice with my mind occupied like this…_

I looked at my desk.

“That’s what I thought.”

“You can’t make this easy on us, Yunna.” Luke said with his hands in his pants pockets. “We really will beat you if you don’t put enough effort into it.”

I nodded, watching as Ian walked away. It took Luke a moment to notice he was gone, now following after him.

I looked around for Mai, deciding to head back on my own to practice.

*****************************************************************************************************

I was ready to throw my phone against the wall. I was getting so frustrated.

_I’m not getting any better. I reached a plateau. My score and rank range have been constant the past week! What am I going to do!?_

I sighed, about to shut my phone off until I heard the PB&J jingle come out of my laptop that I was using as my radio. I sat up and decided to start another game instead.

“ _Welcome to PB &J!_” Jon’s voice ringed. “ _Remember, if you heard that name somewhere else, we totally thought of it first! Tonight, I am bringing you a very special show, because you might notice..._ ” A loud snore was then heard. “ _My partner fell _asleep_. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything too bad to the guy. But you know he has a lot of fears, and I figured that I’d do something to help him combat those._ ”

“This isn’t going to end well…” I commented as I walked over to my laptop to listen better without raising the volume. A wet sort of noise then echoed.

“ _Now then._ ” Jon’s voice now muffled as he spoke. “ _PBG! WAKE UP! I HAVE COME FOR YOU!_ ”

“ _Wha- OH GOD NOOOOOO! I’M SORRY! PLEASE DON’T TAKE ME! PLEASE DON’T TAKE ME!_ ”

“ _You will make the perfect specimen._ ”

“ _No! NO! Okay, you can take me, but don’t take Luka! He doesn’t know any better, he’s just a dog._ ”

Jon started to laugh through his mask, which made it sound much more unsettling.

_Why do you have to antagonize him like this, Jon?_

“ _I should’ve - I should’ve made more of my life when I had the chance. I have so many things to tell people. Jeff, if you’re out there, I secretly consider you a really good friend. And Josh, I’m really jealous of your beard. And Hana…_ ”

“ _Whoa there, boy!_ ” Jon said as he stopped his on-air confession. “ _It’s only me!_ ”

_Jon! WHY!?_

A series of ruffling noises was then heard.

“ _Jon?_ ”

“ _Come over to daddy. Come hug me. I’m sorry for hurting you._ ”

“ _Wha?_ ”

More noises can be heard. I could only assume that Jon was patting PBG’s back.

“ _There, there. I’m sorry._ ”

“ _It was you?_ ”

“ _Of course it was me you numbnut!_ ”

“ _I’ve never been so happy to see you!_ ”

I sighed as I turned my laptop off.  
 _At least Jon cares about PBG enough to try and cheer him up. Even if it is a bit odd. I just wish I could help out more… Hm… They should be almost done with their show, right? It wouldn’t hurt to stop by…_

I then made my way to the Azalea Arts Center and to the radio room. When I got there, the ‘On-Air’ sign was still glowing. 

_Guess I’ll wait then… Arg! What am I doing here? I’m not anything much to PBG! I’m not family… I’m barely his friend… It’s not like I’m Hana… I’m so stupid… Ian was right. It was his business what he did..._

I turned to walk back over to the dorms when I heard the door open.

“ - should’ve punched me if you were so scared, what if I was an actual alien?”

“Punching you wouldn’t have made much of a difference!”

“You don’t know that!”

I looked around for a place to hide in the empty hallway, only for the two of them to pass right by me.

I sighed in relief as I tried to sneak behind them to leave as well, only for them to notice me.

We all screamed at each other.

“Oh, Yunna. It’s just you.” Jon said after we had all calmed down.

“What are you doing here?” PBG asked.

I felt myself shrink as Jon looked at me then at PBG, a knowing smile on his face.

“Well, I better get going. But I’ll leave you two here. We have permission to be out, so take your time. You won’t get into any trouble.” Jon said as he winked at me before heading down the hallway.

“So… why are you here?” PBG asked as he scratched his chin with a finger.

“Uh… well… I… Um…” I blushed harder as I was unable to get my words out. I took a deep breath before continuing. “I just… wanted to let you know that I am here for you… if you need anything… anything at all! Even if it just making you a lunch… I know how hard you are working and you are under a lot of stress and… If I could just ease any burdens no matter how small… I-I just… I just want to help…”

“Awww, you don’t have to do that.” He said as he smiled.

I looked up at him, wanting to do something, anything to show that I cared. I then lifted my hand up to his face, resting the palm of my hand on his cheek. It was the only thing I could think of. It was something that I did to show my brothers care since they freaked out every time I hugged them. I could barely reach his cheek, he was so tall! The sensation of his beard was rough against the bottom of my palm, but it felt nice. His cheek felt warm in my hand.

_What am I doing?! He’s going to think I’m weird…_

He then raised his hand to meet my own, keeping it there. “Thank you, Yunna.”

I could feel his cheek move as he spoke, a nervous giggle coming out of me. “Y-you’re welcome…”

We stood there, looking at each other for some time. I didn’t mind. 

_This is nice. It has a feeling that was different than how I show affection to my brothers. This seemed deeper somehow. At least to me. I couldn’t say for PBG._

He then let go of my hand, letting me pull away. We were both glowing red. 

PBG then cleared his throat. “Well, guess I have to get going, then. I… have a phone call to make…” He then started to walk backwards toward the door, his eyes still on me. “Um… thank you… for that.”

“Sure! No problem!” I said as my brain sputtered to keep control of my body from freaking out.

“Will I see you at the game tomorrow?” He asked.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” I replied, my smile growing.

He then rubbed the back of his neck with the same hand that held mine. “Say… Is your offer to make me lunch still valid? The last one you made was great… and I would like to have one tomorrow… if you don’t mind…”

“I’d love to! Is making the same thing okay, or do you have any requests?”

“Anything’s fine. You choose.”

“Okay! I’ll be sure to bring it with me so you can have it right after the game.”

“Great! Man, I’m so excited! There’s no way we’d fail!” He chuckled. “Thanks, Yunna.”

“But I didn’t do anything. Not yet, anyway.”

“No, you definitely did.” he said as his back hit the door behind him. He then turned around, trying to yank the door open but it wouldn’t budge. He then noticed the push sign on the side of the door, using so much force that he was flung out into the night air, the door slamming behind him. It took him a moment to realized what happened, turning to the door now and waving to me through the window.

I waited until he started to leave to jump for joy and let my body bounce up and down with excitement. 

_Yay! I helped! Oh, gosh, what am I going to make tomorrow!? I better make a list of things I need to get tomorrow morning…_

*****************************************************************************************************

After an early start to run to grab the ingredients and preparation to make two lunches, I was able to make it to the soccer field just in time for the big game to start. The sun was hotter and brighter than ever since I had arrived in Japan. The humidity was thick, something that I wasn’t used to. I felt bogged down as I walked over to Mai and the others who were also watching the game, careful not to tip the lunches over.

We watched as the game ticked down to halftime. The score was 3 - 3. The team that Asago was up against, the Moirai Strikers, were really aggressive and was not making the game easy. One player continued to get yellow carded and kept egging on fights. Thankfully, no one has gotten hurt, but Asago could have made so many goals if it wasn’t for his reckless style.

PBG had been playing great, but his stress was starting to show, even though he was so animated as he talked to Jeff who replied just as enthusiastically.

“I hope they can pull through…” I prayed, now looking at Mai.

Mai nodded. “Don’t worry. We’ve just got to believe in the team.”

I nodded, feeling a knot form in my stomach. I had a bad feeling and intuition usually never led me too astray. I watched as PBG and the rest of the team take the field. He was directly facing the rogue player from Moriai.

_Please… be okay…_

The whistle blew, watching as the game continued.   
“If you keep acting like that, you’ll drag the team down! Come on, why can’t you -”I heard Mai screaming at some of the players now as she got into the game. “PBG!”

I heard PBG yell as he collapsed onto the grass, holding his leg as the rogue player stood above him, a superior grin on his face. 

I was too in shock to utter a word.

The entire Asago side of the bleachers were outraged, yelling profanity and insults. The fans were seething for a riot. The referee then ran to PBG, his body language indicating he was asking PBG if he was okay. He shook his head as he tried to stand, only to cry out once more and fall back to the ground.

“How could someone injure a person on purpose!? All for some stupid game!?” I shouted as I stood, re-running what had just happened in my head.

_He… he twisted PBG’s ankle…_

“It looked like some judo move… Yunna!” Mai said, trying to calm me down now that I was trying to get down to the field.

“That was no judo…” Wallid commented as he helped settle me down, now watching as a stretcher and Mr.McPasta now helping move PBG to the infirmary. I gripped onto our lunches, my hands shaking.

“How are we going to win this without PBG?” Mai asked, worry painted on her face now. “He’s our best player… Jeff can’t handle the rest of this by himself…”

“He has too…” I mumbled, now looking out to the field. “He’s not alone. The rest of the team is there. They have to pull through. Or else PBG got injured for nothing.”

The rogue player was finally red carded and sent to the opponent’s bench, banned from the rest of the game. I gritted my teeth as I forced myself to watch the rest of the game.

_I have to know how the game ends. I can’t see PBG unless I can tell him we have won the match! I just pray we do…_

The Asago team seemed more fired up than ever as the game continued. Each team was taking more risks to get the ball into their goal. Within the last few seconds, Asago was able to capture the ball from Moriai’s possession and kick in the last, game winning goal. The entire crowd erupted as the last buzzer rang, now pushing my way out of the stands and over to the infirmary. 

“Yunna!” I heard Mai shout over the crowd, “You can’t just go to the nurse’s office! They won’t let you in!”

I ignored her, running as fast as my legs could carry me.

*****************************************************************************************************

I was a few feet away from the door to the infirmary, panting hard as I tried to catch my breath. I then looked down at my lunch, hoping that PBG wasn’t hurt enough not to eat it. He would need his strength to recover. As I walked closer, I heard someone talking.

“- okay, really. Hana, I’m injured, not dead.” PBG said as he winced through his pain. “Yes, I’m telling her today. No, I’m not putting it off… Okay… Okay… Fine.”

I held my hand over my mouth, afraid that he may overhear my panting. 

_Why am I hiding? I should just go in there. So what if he is talking to Hana. They are childhood friends after…_

I heard him sigh. “There is something I need to tell you. Ever since we first met, I had… feelings for you… and… I feel stupid doing this, Hana. I’m sorry I’m messing this up so bad… It’s just that… I… I like you and want you to be my girlfriend!”

I braced myself against the wall, feeling tears streaming down my face. I turned around to run away only to run into Mr.McPasta.

“What are you doing here, Yunna?” He asked. “Are you alright?”

_In a way, I am glad he knows me, but it wasn’t the greatest time to be recognized at the moment._

“O-oh, hello, Mr.McPasta…” I mumbled as I used my sleeve to dry my tears. “I-I’m okay. It’s- It’s just allergies. I was just wondering if you could give this lunch to PBG when he feels better. I made two, so you can have the other one as thanks for letting me sleep in your office the other day.”

He then took the lunches I handed him. “Oh, thank you very much, Yunna. I will be sure to give it to him as soon as I finish his treatment.”

“How is he doing?” I asked.

Mr.McPasta sighed. “It looks like he won’t be able to play the rest of the season with the injury he has. The injury itself isn’t that bad. If he does put on stress from playing and practicing, he will prevent it from healing properly.”

“Oh, I see…” I mumbled.

“Um… Now, if you don’t mind…” He said as he motioned toward his office. 

“Of course.” I said as I stepped out of his way. “Oh! And Mr.McPasta? Can you tell PBG we won the game?”

He laughed darkly, tilting his mask down. “Of course I will. Thank you for the lunch, Yunna. Take care.” He gave me a small wave as he walked into his office, lunches safely tucked in his arm.

The next thing I remember was running to my room and crying my eyes out.

*****************************************************************************************************

“I’ll take this slide, and you can mime the movements as I…” I started to explain to PBG, my voice hollow and devoid of any emotion.

PBG was just as absent, not listening to me at all. I simply continued to explain, not really caring anymore. It was they day after his injury and the words that I overheard were still ringing in my mind. I had yet to tell anyone what I heard. Even Mai. His knee was still bandaged up and held still with a brace. It was apparent he still pushed himself to class no matter how hurt he was.

“...Then I’ll read this slide and you do the movements…”

“Sure.”

I stopped explaining for a moment. “If… if there is something you need to tell me, I’m here.”

“Thanks, Yunna. I know. It’s just… you know what, I’m fine. I don’t have anything to say. Really.”

_I guess he wants to wait until the shock of not being able to play for the rest of the season to fade before bringing up good news._

I nodded.

Class passed by at a pace slower than a snail's. I mostly stared out a window, trying not to catch anyone’s attention. The last thing I wanted to do was talk. There was nothing I could do but tried to ignore the emotions in my heart.

*****************************************************************************************************

I sighed as I sat down on a bench outside after class, looking up at the blue sky. I then saw a familiar green and gray jacket from the corner of my eye. 

“Hey, Jon.” I said, trying to be polite.

He jumped into the air, startled. “What!? What!? I’m sorry! I didn’t do it! It was a mistake, really! I didn’t know he would break like that… Oh, Yunna. What’s on your mind.”

“What was all that about?” I asked.

He glared at me. “What’s on your mind.”

“Let’s just agree that we both don’t have anything to say on certain matters...” I settled, Jon nodding. “Actually… I’ve been worried about PBG. He has been kind of soulless after he got injured. I wish I could do something to cheer him up.”

“Yeah. He’s been having trouble getting up in the morning. And he hasn’t even been practicing for the tournament, either, like he’s supposed to. At this rate,we’ll definitely lose.”

I nodded, knowing whatever I would say couldn’t help.

“NO! THIS CANNOT STAND!” Jon suddenly shouted. “We cannot lose to that Hidden Block scum. So, what’s your idea?”

“Huh? What idea? I don’t have an idea.”

Mai then started to stomp out of the building, her rage on her face almost matched the shade of her hair. “Ohmaigod, Yunna!” She spat as she saw me. “My sister got back from this huuuuge spa trip. It’s so not fair! I wish I could’ve gone, but she didn’t invite me. What’s the point of being related to rich people if they don’t let you do the cool things?”

“That’s it!” I shouted. “Mai, you’re a genius!”

“Of course I am…” She boasted. “Um… why am I a genius again?”

“We can take a trip to a hot spring! Don’t hot springs usually have healing-” I started to say when I heard something in the distance. “Do… Do you guys hear that?”

“ _............aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”_

_“Yeah…” said Mai._

_“ _aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA_ ”_

_“What’s that dust cloud in the distance?” Jon asked as he pointed in the direction it was coming from._

_“Does Japan even get dirt devils?” I asked as I saw the figure grow bigger._

_“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Jared screamed as he suddenly appeared in the middle of our small group. He then used his hand to fling his hair back, sending a cascade of sparkles all around us. “Did someone say… Fanservice?”_

_“NO ONE SAID THAT, YOU F-”_

_“YES!” Mai said as she pushed me out of the way of her view of Jared._


	6. Hot Springs and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory hot spring scene!

I couldn’t help but to bounce in my seat, looking out the window and back at everyone else. “I’m so glad everyone agreed to come!” My excitement was bubbling over.

_I get to go to an honest-to-goodness hot spring! Nothing is going to ruin this for me!_

I was fangirling so hard, looking at Jared, Mai, and a very sad PBG. “This is going to be so great! I’m going to take, like, twelve baths before we go back!”

Jared grinned. “I’m sure this is going to be a great time. But of course, any amount of time with you lovely ladies is bound to be great.”

I rolled my eyes as Mai swooned. PBG was still being a sad PBG.

“So… has anyone ever been to a hot spring before?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“I’ve been to another one, but never this one. I didn’t even know we had a hot spring in Higanbana, but I guess it is pretty cool that we do.” Mai said as she kept looking at Jared.

“I know most hot springs in the nation, but this one seems to be recently built. There’s an inn attached to it and everything.” Jared added.

PBG just sat in his seat, not wanting to talk.

The intercom then ringed, reciting the name of the station. “Oh! We’re here! Come on! Hurry!” I shouted as I grabbed PBG’s arm and rushed out the door.

We entered the inn and made our way to the hot springs, the boys going to their side to change as we went to ours. I kept pestering Mai about the etiquettw that one should know at a hot spring as she showed me that we had to wash up before actually entering. After my questions were answered, we then started talking about the trip in general.

“I can’t wait to see Jared with his shirt off!” She squealed as she blushed. “Yunna, this is the best idea you have ever had. EVER!”

“Well, it was you who inspired me…” I mumbled. I did my best to look elsewhere. Being brought up in the U.S., I was used to bodies being hidden away.

_I mean, seeing my family naked is different. My brothers aren’t a big deal because I bathed them since they were little. My mom is my mom. There was nothing to compare. This is just so awkward… How can people get used to this? At least I have a towel. Small comforts, I suppose..._

“I’ve been planning for this day, Yunna.” She said, getting herself pumped up. “I’m ready.”

“Oh?” I said as I laughed, feigning ignorance. “What do you mean?”

“ _What_ do I mean? This is a golden opportunity, a perfect opportunity to capture my Jared’s heart! I’ve got a whole plan set out and everything!”

“And you are not doing anything illegal, right?” I checked, eyeing her. 

Mai giggled. “Girl, what do you take me for?”

I smiled. “A woman who gets what she wants.”

“Anyways, aren’t you going to take off your earrings before you go in?” She asked as she started to walk to the door that lead to the spring.

I touched my gold hoop earrings as I closed my eyes. “Uh… I never take them off. Haven’t you noticed I sleep in them? Anyway, I’ll join you in a second. I have to mentally prepare.” I centered myself and gathered my courage into my chest, nodding my head as I opened my eyes. “Okay, ready.”

We both stepped out into the open, steam rising from the small pool of water that was surrounded by granite stones. 

“It’s so nice in here!” Mai said as she took her first step into the heated water.

_Wait… is she going to…_

I then started to panic, obviously not prepared if she was going to take off her towel. “I… I forgot to do something! I’ll be right back!” I then walked as quickly as I, seeing Mai take her hair clip off and fling her long hair dramatically. I had made it back to the changing room without incident. My heart was racing as my body shook from the situation of it all.

_It’s okay, Yunna. I know it’s strange. It’s not what you are used to. It’s okay to be nervous. But when are you going to get another chance to soak in a hot spring? Probably never! Swallow your pride and just go in there and… soak. Besides, it is just you and Mai. No one is going to judge you. She’s like a sister, right? No big deal. It’s not like PBG and Jared are going to see us. Yeah. I can do this! Let’s go!_

With renewed hope, I walked back out to the spring, a bright smile on my face. “Sorry about that. I hope you didn’t wait too…”

“Oh, Yunna!” PBG greeted as I trailed off. “Come on in, the water’s great.”

I was screaming internally.

“W-w-w-w-w-what are you guys doing in here?” I said as I now spotted Jared and Mai sharing a corner of the spring.

“It’s a communal bath, for both sexes.” PBG explained as he relaxed in the water. “I had no idea until we found Mai out here.”

I looked down at the ground as a flash blinded me, probably one of Jared’s sparkles flashing in my eye as he hand an arm around Mai, looking deeply into her eyes. I felt myself start to back away again.

_Oh my God, they are only wearing towel! I can’t take this._

PBG must have only noticed this fact when I backed away, now looking at his own towel and blushing, his eyes wide. “D-don’t you w-want to come in? N-not that you have t-ro or anything… I-I’m…”

His words stopped me from backtracking. I felt myself blushing deeply, now unable to speak because my heart jumped straight into my throat, making it hard to talk. I swallowed my heart back down, nodding as I stepped towards the spring now. 

_Don’tthinkaboutitdon’tthinkaboutitdon’tthinkaboutit…_

I made sure that the knot I made on the top of the towel was tucked in tight, holding the bottom of it now as I let my body sink into the water. Despite my fear, the water felt nice.

“A-anyways, so! How are you feeling?” PBG said as he looked away out of courtesy, directing the question toward Jared and Mai, but they were in their own little world.

I kept a good distance away, now remembering the conversation he had with Hana. 

“I’ve been… okay.” I answered for him as I finally sat down. 

_I never realized how small this spring is…_

PBG, who was standing in the middle of the hot spring, slowly made his way toward me. “I-Is that right? Um… mind if I sit here?”

I shook my head, making as much room for him as I could. But no matter how far I had gotten, he didn’t have enough room, getting closer and closer. He started to sit down, but never managed to. He bumped into my arm.Which bumped into the knot that was keeping the towel on me. Which slipped off.

“Oh, sorr-” He started to say before blood started to gush from his nose.  
The stress was too much for me, feeling a falling sensation as I lost my sight, a warm sensation coming from my own nose.

_My brain is spilling out…_

“AAAAAH!” I heard Mai scream.

Jared soon yelled after her. “WHAT THE HELL!? WHAT’S GOING ON!?”

“EEEEEW! IT’S EVERYWHERE! THE WATER IS TURNING TO BLOOD! IT’S THE SECOND COMING!”

“PBG! PBG, HANG IN THERE! COME BACK TO US, MAN! HE’S FLOATING! HE IS DOING THE DEAD MAN’S FLOAT!! OH GOD, PBG!”

“SHE’S LOST CONSCIOUSNESS! YUNNA! WE’RE LOSING HER!”

*****************************************************************************************************

I woke up, seeing Mai dabbing a towel on my face, worried like a mother hen. “W-where am I?”

“This is one of the inn rooms.” Mai explained. “We rented one for a bit.”

I looked around the room to see we were in a very Japanese looking room. It was exactly like in the anime’s I have seen. I would have been much more excited if it wasn’t for the fact I had fainted.

“How did I get here? I just remember fainting…”

“Do you… not remember?” She asked, looking for signs of illness.

I shook my head. “I just remember falling… and something red?”

“I didn’t think it would be this bad…” She muttered. “But… if it was so traumatic that you can’t remember most of it, it is probably best you didn’t remember.”

“I didn’t do anything stupid, right?”

“Yunna.” She said as she put her hand on my shoulder. “There are some things in this world that you’re just not meant to know.”

I nodded again. “I’ll take your word for it.”

We then heard a knock on the wooden part of the door. “Excuse me, can I come in?” PBG asked. I felt myself blushing deeply, waving at ‘no’ as best I could Mai as she told PBG to come in. I tried to act casual.

“Hey, Mai. Hey, Yunna. Glad to see that you’re up again.” PBG then glanced at me. “Um… do you mind if I talk to Yunna alone?”

Mai laughed. “Hehehe, say no more.” She then left the room, glancing over her shoulder before and winking as she did. “Play nice you two.”

_Traitor!_

I looked at PBG.

_He is still not dressed!_

He then sat down in front of me.

_Still not dressed!_

I looked at my hands. I was short of breath and my heart felt like it was going to explode. It felt like we were there alone, saying nothing, for hours.

“I know that you’ve been worrying about me lately.” PBG started. “Trust me, you are not the only one.”

I nodded, glancing away as I knew who he was talking about.

“I’m sure you know that soccer is really important to me… It’s...one of the most important things. It’s been driving me crazy not being able to play. I can’t even attend the practices when the entire team is telling me to leave them alone. But it’s my life at Asago. Ever since Hana moved away, it is how I gained confidence in myself.”

I nodded again. I was preparing for the worst: For him to tell me that Hana was his girlfriend.

“Without it, I didn’t know what I would do. I was going crazy, and I was getting depressed.” He continued. “But, that is no reason to ignore you. To ignore everyone. I was throwing myself a pity party and that is no excuse. That was stupid. I’m sorry for worrying you so much.” 

He then hugged me, the string of thoughts that lead us here in the first place flooding my mind.

_Stop thinking like that, you pervert! He has a girlfriend!_

 

“And… thank you. For the lunch. It was great.” He added as he started to pull away.

I nodded. “You’re welcome…” I couldn’t help but to wrap my own arms around him, hugging him back.

“Y-you know, I usually feel like I’m a joke to people, but when I’m with you, I’m more then that.” He said as he hugged me again. “You understand me. You make me feel like I matter, and you take me seriously.”

“Of course you are more then that!” I said as I hugged him tighter, hiding my face. “You are such a wonderful person… Any girl would be lucky to have you…”

“I… thank you.” He said laughing. “Well, shucks.”

Reluctantly, I started to pull away from him. “I’m serious! It was thanks to you I could feel at home here. You are one of the few people who have shown me what a true friend was. Someone who genuinely cares about me and doesn’t just put up a front… Thank you… for everything...”

I felt like I was letting go much more than just him.

“Well, you’re welcome.” He said as he smiled, now noticing his face was as red as mine. “Anytime!”

“Do you think… do you think we can be friends no matter what?” I asked him, thinking about the crush I still had on him. “It’s just… you have become such an important friend to me.”

He then leaned over and pressed the palm of his hand to my cheek, smiling. “Of course, no matter what.”

I leaned into his hand a little, a soft smile on my lips until I realized we were still only in towels. We both then turned away from each other. 

“MANI better leave those two alone. Whatever happened between those two to have a falling out that bad, I don’t want to know. The last thing I need is more drama. I have enough on my own…

As we climbed up to the third story, we trailed behind Mimi and Kakusu, who were talking about their own problems. We were forced to hear their conversation, unable to move past them.

“So, apparently, the hot springs are closed for the rest of the year.” Mimi said with disdain, Mai and I now looking at each other.

“What? No way!” Kakusu said in her metallic voice. “I was going to join my friends on a celebratory excursion there after graduating the midterm exams!”

“I don’t really know what happened, but the staff don’t want to go into detail about it. Something about the water being… tainted.”

“You don’t think people were _copulating_ in the springs?”

“Oh my God! Why do you talk like that? Of course that is why it is! It must have been some kind of party if the springs had to shut down.”

Kakusu’s eyes flashed. “It’s being inspected for health violations. It may not even be able to reopen!”

“Aw, man. I hope they catch whoever did it!” Mimi said with a clenched fist. “It sucks that _we_ have to suffer for something some asshole did.”

When we got to the top of the stairwell, we both ran around them like we were being chased by the mob. We then saw Jon, who was about to ask us about how our trip to the hot springs went, cutting him short just before Mimi and Kakusu arrived.

“Okay, whatever.” Jon shrugged. “But whatever you did sure did work. Look!” He then pointed to PBG, who was now happily drawing something at his desk. I waved as PBG spotted us and waved back. “What did you do? I never seen him recover from something like this so quickly.”

“Uh… trade secret.” I said, looking away as I blushed.

Jon raised his hand. “Thank you, that is all I needed to know. Well, Yunna, you are one special girl.”

I then realized something. “Don’t take it the wrong way!”

“I just meant, thank you for looking out for our boy.” He laughed. 

I did my best to smile. “No big deal. We are friends after all.”

Jon snorted. “Yeah, and friends look out for each other, right?”

“Yep!” I replied, Jon laughing very loudly as he made his way back to his desk. “Okay… that was weird…” I noted as I turned to Mai, who was staring out the window.

_Jeez, Mai, you are being more antisocial than I usually am…_

*****************************************************************************************************

Mai slowly returned to her usual, peppy self as they day wore on. By the time we walked back to our dorm she was talking about volleyball strategies. She was explaining them in detail when I noticed another letter taped to our door.

“No, not again.” I said as I nabbed the note and pushed the door open to get inside. I was about to chuck it into the trash bin when Mai stopped me.

“Awww… what did the paper ever do to you. At least read it. Maybe we can figure out who wrote it this time.”

“Fine…” I said, now tearing open the letter.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Oh, Love. Oh, Love?_

Oh love, oh love, she is lovely and sweet  
She captures my feelings and shines like the sea  
So lovely, this lovely, so pretty and nice  
Oh love is so hot, oh love is so… ice.

Getting warmer and warmer and warmer until  
I pour too much water, but love cannot spill  
For this lovely I see, stares back at me with eyes like wet sand  
For love has the loveliest eyes I have seen.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I stared at ‘with eyes like wet sand’. “It’s talking about me…”

“I told you they weren’t for me.” Mai teased.

“It’s not funny, Mai! This is someone’s feelings here!” I frowned as I put the newest letter with the others. 

“Hey, what’s up?” She asked, following me as I laid on my bed. “You okay, Yunna?”

“I… don’t like this.”

“Whoever wrote that note doesn’t have the confidence to confess, right? So as long as they don’t approach you directly, you can just ignore it just like the others!”

“But what if that just adds fuel to the fire?” I asked as I thought back on all the years of news reports my mom called me over to watch with her.

“A letter is just a letter! Who knows? It may come from a person you have feelings for.”

I flailed around a bit. “Feeling suck.”

Mai glared at me.

“I’m serious! Look, I am just tired of feeling like my heart's bruised, okay?”

“I know you are serious! That’s why I’m annoyed.”

“Huh?”

She sighed and shook her head. “Poor guy’s got it rough… but I guess you don’t pick who you fall in love with.”

“You are siding with Mystery Man or Woman now?”

“I wasn’t talking about… you know what? Forget it.”

“Fine. So, about your latest tactic?”

We were able to safely segway into talking about her upcoming game until she had to leave for it later that evening. I don’t know how, but something other than volleyball had her excited. I just couldn’t tell what without asking her directly. And when I did, she would brush the question aside. I shrugged it off.

I made a call to Violet when Mai left for her game. I couldn’t call Hana about this, so she was my only option. After explaining everything that happened, Violet just sighed.

“ _Woman, are you sure he doesn’t just like Hana as a friend and wants to date you?_ She asked.

“Yes, I’m sure. There is no way he would just…. Look, from the stories he told me, he was head over heels for her. You don’t give up a love like that easily, Vai.”

“ _Yeah, but they have been years apart! Besides, did you hear her say yes? NO! He could have been rejected._

“Then that makes it worse! Now I can’t date him because Hana refused him! I would need to wait at least, half a year.”

“ _Half a year!? Give him a month or two. Then tell him how you feel._ ”

“But what if-”

“ _’What if’ nothing! Actually, you know what, let’s make a bet. On that tournament of yours._ ”

“Vai…”

“ _No! You can’t squirm your way out if you bet on it. You are so honorable. You have to do it! If you win, you have to tell him your feelings, dating Hana or not. If you lose, you can keep your feelings to yourself. If you don’t do either, you play the penalty game. Got it?_ ”

“...You aren’t going to tell Hana any of this, are you?”

“ _Girl, YOU are my best friend out of seniority. I wasn’t planning on telling her anyway. She didn’t tell me about having a boyfriend, so I don’t need to tell her about this._ ”

“Okay. I’ll do it. Just for you, Vai. It’s probably better this way. If I lose the tournament, they will just drop me anyway. I rather die than play the penalty game… And if I win, I would probably tell PBG or else I would explode. I hate it when you are right.”

“ _And will always be right. Remember that. Anyway, I gotta go. Lunch is almost over._ ”

“Okay, bye Violet. Talk to you soon.”

“ _Later chickadee!_ ”

I looked at my phone as Mai bursted back in, excited she had won the match for Asago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are probably wondering why I posted so many chapters so soon, right? Well, I am having some IRL issues and I am not sure when I will have the chance to write normally again. But, thankfully for you guys, I had gotten into a good writing grove before things went down. So I am posting the first half and I will post the next half on the following Sunday since I am almost finished with the last chapter. (I am not quite happy with the ending, so I am tweaking it a bit.) I don't want to keep you guys waiting for the end. I know how it feels to have such a good fanfic just stop right in the middle and I don't want to do that to you. But that also means I may not be able to work on the other routes for a bit (and I may have to work on them out of order then what I originally thought because I have been getting inspiration for different routes...). But I hope you enjoy what I was able to put out so far and here is to hoping that I can get some spare time to work on the other routes for the future.


	7. Bittersweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunna gets a threatening letter and goes to the movies.

I chewed on a spicy hard candy as I tried to think of anything to write down. 

_It’s not like I have written a letter to reject someone before. Maybe I should just be direct. It may hurt his feelings either way, but it is better to get this over with now and not let it build up anymore._

After an hour of writing and rewriting, I had gotten I wanted.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To whom may concern, 

As much as I am flattered that you have been sending me these poems, I do not want to be receiving them. I will not be accepting any more letters, so please stop sending them.

Respectfully,

Yunna Readman

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Short, but it gets my point across. Hopefully it works._

I then stick the note onto our door, sealed shut in an envelope, and leave for the day.

*****************************************************************************************************

PBG and I were at the soccer field, watching over Asago’s match. He twitched as he watched the other players, telling how badly he wanted to join them. He then started to comment on how they should play, only to have them do it moments later or for the play to work out even better than he expected. 

“YESS!! YEAH!!! GOOD JOB!!!” He shouted.

As much as I wanted to cheer along with him, I was more worried about him trying to run out onto the field and joining them. So I sat quietly next to him and kept an eye out for any sudden movements, glad that he was happy for the moment. 

That is when he really lost it when the final buzzer rang. 

He lept into the air. “WE WON! YUNNA~! WE WON! WE ARE GOING TO THE FINALS!!!”

Before I knew it, he grabbed my hands and pulled me up, urging me to bounce along with him. I laughed as I saw how excited he was.

“This is so awesome! The finals!” I shouted back, now giving him a congratulatory hug.

“WE’RE GOING TO THE FINALS!” He shouted once more as he hugged back. “I have to go congratulate them.” 

I unwantingly let him go, seeing that the Strikers were now running over to our side of the field and made somewhat of a moshpit. He was gone in a flash, lost in the crowd of cheering athletes. I decided to wait out for the crowd to thin a little before heading over. 

By the time I did get to the mass of soccer players, PBG was giving them props. “I’m so proud of you all! You nailed it!”

 

“We’ve wouldn’t have been able to do it without you, bro!” Jeff said as he gave PBG a fist bump.

“Bro…” PBG replied, looking as if he wanted to cry.

 _Ah, bromance at it’s finest._ I thought as I stood to the side, not wanting to ruin the moment.

After they had finished their group hug, PBG and I had started to walk back to the campus, PBG recalling the game in vivid detail as if I wasn’t there to witness it myself. 

I nodded and made agreeing noises. “Well, I’m glad that you can still cheer them on even if you couldn’t play with them…”

“Yeah…” He said as he put his hands in his pockets, a far away look in his eyes now as the wind started to blow a strong gust. “As happy as I am that we’ll be going to the finals, it’s a bittersweet feeling. I guess that is how the sword falls.”

“That’s a nice saying.”

“Thanks.”

A silence fell on the both of us, leaving me to watch him as he continued to look out to the horizon, leaving me to realize how late it was. My hand instinctively went for his, only to change my mind and pinch the smallest amount of his jacket as I could and tugged.

“Come on.” I said, putting on a smile. “We’ll miss the last dinner if we don’t hurry.”

*****************************************************************************************************

I felt like my body had just fell ten feet down and hit the floor as I jolted awake from a loud thumping noise. My heart was racing, flinging myself from my covers as Mai asked me if I heard the noise too. I reached for the doorknob, hoping that I was able to catch a glimpse of whoever or whatever made that noise, only to hear the faint footsteps running down the stairway. I then turned away as I saw a dark shadow walking down the ladder of Mai’s bunk.

“Are you okay?” She asked, rubbing my shoulder.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “But I was too slow. They probably got away by now.”

“What the hell!?” She shouted. “Who does that in the middle of the night!? Slamming into our door like that so late at night?” She then stomped over to the door and yanked it open, looking down the hallway. “I don’t see anybody here. I don’t think anyone else heard it either… It was probably some stupid prank.”

I nodded as I wrapped my arms around me, knowing it wouldn’t do me any good.

She moved to shut the door and stopped, the both of us gasping as we were now looking at a single envelope taped to the door. She then peeled it off. “Looks like we got another visit from your secret admirer.”

Mai then flicked the lights on and handed the note to me. 

I took it and tore it open, a single leaf of plain notebook paper inside.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yunna, dearest.

Why must you neglect me so? I am so, so sorry if I had made you uncomfortable, but I can’t hide my feelings any longer.

I really care for you, Yunna. I won’t be so naive to say I love you, considering how much you do not know about me, and how much I haven’t had the opportunity to get to know you.

But I have been watching you. You’re kind, smart, funny. You love your friends deeply and stand up for what is right, stand up to your fears.

You’ve even befriended some of the most popular and influential students in school. In fact, you have grown quite close with some of them… and I really… Don’t. Like. It.

It’s making me jealous. It’s driving me insane, watching you smiling at them when I can’t bother to reveal myself so I can try and take their place. I know you are happy with them. You have hardly noticed that I exist, so I know I can’t compare.

And yet… it’s all I can think about. So, I ask you: won’t you please spend a little less time with them?

Please, Yunna? I have never cared so much about another person.

For my sake.

Love,

Your admirer.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My heart sank. I crumpled up the note in my hands, doing my best to smile. “It looks like he is finally leaving me alone!” 

“Really?” Mai asked. “Let me see…”

I flinched away as she tried to take the note. “It’s okay! He said a lot of… sensitive things just for me to read and I don’t want to hurt him by showing the note off.”

She sighed. “Well, as unsettling as the way he delivered the note is, I guess it isn’t something we should worry about anymore now.”

“Yeah.” I said as I nodded, trying to keep up the facade up. “Do you know how well Asago is with these kinds of situations?” 

“Well, Asago doesn’t have the greatest track record, but at least this got cleared up. Let’s just say I knew someone that got… a little intense about another person. They went to the staff and told them what was going on, but they got no response. The crazy behavior was allowed to continue and the students were left to sort it out themselves. It’s not something we want to talk about… You know how nice Asago is by now.”

I sighed. “Yeah. Looks like things are just the same here as with any other school I have been to… Just trying to save face. And with a school as expensive as this...” 

_Just like before. Why is it no one takes you seriously until something bad happens?_

“That includes sweeping a lot of…” Mai trailed off as she looked for the right word. “Incidents… like this under the rug.” I must have stopped smiling as she tried to comfort me again. “Hey, don’t worry! Thing were much, much worse in the past. Nowadays things have gotten better since the students around her started acting like people. Besides, he said that he is going to stop this, right?”

I nodded, clutching the note to my chest. “R-right. I wouldn't want to get kicked out of school for being paranoid about a threat that isn’t here, right?”

Mai nodded as she held up her arm and flexed it. “And like I said, I’ll be here to protect you if anything does happen. I know it seems like a joke, but volleyball has made my arms really strong. I could definitely take someone out!”

I smiled genuinely this time. “Thanks Mai. I wouldn’t know what I would do without you.”

Mai then walked over to turn off the lights and locked the door, saying that we can’t be too safe. We then crawled back into bed, Mai now satisfied that she had reaffirmed me. 

I turned over in my bed as Mai settled into her own, the note still in my hands as if it was an omen for things to come.

_I can’t let anyone else worry about me. I’m going to have to handle this myself. As much as I hate it, my old habits are going to become useful again. Even if it does mean being alone for a bit… I can’t let Mai get hurt because of me. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine. Just… sleep._

*****************************************************************************************************

When I woke up, I remembered the dream I had. Mai was trying to protect me from a shadow figure that was much bigger and stronger than her. Mai was then pushed to the ground, unconscious as the figure then went for me. I had only a few hours of sleep each night since then. Days seemed to be flying by now and I hardly interacted with any of the Normal Boots guys anymore. 

I played it off as wanting time alone to focus on getting better for the tournament when I was actually avoiding them. My speech was even limited to ‘yes’ and ‘no’ when people did try to talk to me. During class, I was switching between hyper-awareness and sleeping sitting up.

I was in the rare state that I was half-asleep when PBG called my name, causing me to shout. “O-oh! PBG! What brings you here?” I tried to smile.

“...School?” He said slowly. “Yunna? Are you okay? You seem a little… ‘off’ lately. You haven’t been around much.”

“I’m fine!” I said as I tried to wave him off. “Nothing happening here. Why?”

PBG eyed me with concern. “It’s lunchtime and you are still sitting at your desk. Mai gave up and left you behind.”

“I-I’m not hungry…” I said as I looked away. 

_If I go, that means I have to socialize with the others… and I can’t…_

“So, what’s bothering you?” He asked as he looked down at me.

_I can’t get him involved. Hana would hate me if I did._

“I’m not sleeping well.” I decided, wanting to tell him something that was true. “I’ve been having bad dreams. I didn’t want to snap at you guys...”

“Yunna…” He sighed, putting his hand on my shoulder. “It looks like something is really bothering you. If it’s okay, I’d like you to trust me. I want to help you. Will you tell me the truth?”

I then started to feel sick, the mix of guilt and want turning into a bad combination inside me. I had bottled up these feelings for so long I was about to burst, tears running down my cheeks.

_I can’t hide this anymore…_

I then started to explain everything that has been happening with the notes, from the very first one to the last one I had gotten. I was shaking so hard. “And I lied to Mai. I wanted to protect her as much as she does me. And I can’t go to the school… I can’t get kicked out. It’s like my old life all over again… And the nightmare I had… It didn’t help me either...”

PBG’s face was very dark. “Yunna. You should report this.”

“I have to handle this on my own.” I said as I shook my head, hiding my face in my hands, too ashamed to look at PBG in the face. I willed myself to calm down and smile at him. “There is no other way. I can handle this myself. I have before. I can’t get anyone else involved…” 

His expression didn’t change. 

“I’ll be fine! Really! Don’t worry about me. I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”

“Yunna....”

“Honestly! This will all blow over in a day or so. So until then just…”  
“Uuuhg, fine. Fine. I’ll listen to you. But if I do, will you do me a favor?” he asked.

“Yes! Anything!” I shouted.

He looked away for a moment before looking back at me. “Do you want to go to the movies tonight? I was going to ask you anyways, but this seems like a good way to keep things off your mind.”

_And I dug myself in a hole again. At least my stalker won’t follow me off campus… hopefully._

“Well, I already said yes.” I said, feeling defeated. “So… yes.”

“Great! I’ll pick you up later tonight, then.” He said as Mai walked into the classroom.

“Yunna! You’re alive!” She greeted as she balanced a tray in each hand. PBG then walked over to her and took one of the trays from her. “Thanks, PBG. I thought I would bring you some food since you weren't on this planet. But…” She then looked at the both of us. “I bet you are feeling better now.”

I blushed red as I stood from my seat to get my tray from Mai. “Wow, thanksalotMai! Thatisreallysweetofyou!”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” PBG said as he turned just as red as me.

“If you want food, you better get a move on.” Mai said as she took her tray from PBG. “They’ve almost ran out of pizza, and they ordered out this time.”

PBG gasped and ran out the door as if he was in a cartoon, making me laugh.

“You really are feeling better now.” Mai stated as she sat down next to me.

I nodded as I thought about the movie he invited me to. I couldn’t think of any movies that were out now that I was interested in.

 _He didn’t give me a time… I wonder what we are going to see. Mr.Stalker won’t be too mad if I go out this one time… right?_

*****************************************************************************************************

PBG and I ended up buying tickets to a movie called Trouble in Paradise. It wasn’t a well advertised movie, so I didn’t know what it was about. We had grabbed the highest seats we could in the middle of the aisle with the biggest tub of popcorn we could buy. The movie was good at first, the movie playing off as a typical romantic comedy. But it took a turn for the worst, the female lead now losing two of her limbs to an unseen assailant. 

PBG and I cowered in fear as we screamed. We tried to calm each other down.

“Are you okay?” I asked, trying not to watch the movie now.

“Yeah… yeah, I’m okay. I’m fine now. At least there wasn’t…” He started to say before he started to turn pale.

The male lead, who was covered in nicks and scrapes, jumped into the ocean to chase after a boat about a mile away. We watched in horror as the man was then dragged down into the depths, a shark tearing at him and blood now filling the screen. It looked really fake to me at this point now that I had calmed down, but PBG was now screaming at the top of his lungs. He then dashed his way out of the theater, tears running down his face. 

The crowd then applauded, glad that he was gone now. 

“You people should be ashamed of yourselves!” I shouted as I grabbed our mostly full popcorn tub and scattered its contents into the crowd before I ran after him.

I found PBG leaning against a pillar outside, taking deep breaths.

“So…” I started off, “I doubt we are going to be allowed in that theater again…” I said as I patted his back. “Um… are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m okay...” He said, becoming quiet. “Sorry about that…”

I shook my head. “It’s okay. I was going to ask if we could leave anyway. I hate scary movies and I never would have guessed you were so scared of sharks…”

“Yeah. I don’t get it either.” He said, deflating.

“Do you really need a reason to be afraid of something that could eat you?”

“No, I guess not.” he said as he still looked kind of sick. 

I thought for a moment, remembering passing by a stand I wanted to stop by on the way back.

“Hey, do you want some cotton candy?” I asked, hoping to get him to smile again.

“Cotton candy?”

“Yeah. I saw a stand. We should get some. My treat.”

He sighed as he smiled. “Okay. I could go for some cotton candy.”

We both found the stall on the way back to the train station and bought a bag of blue and pink cotton candy. I had pink while he was eating his blue cotton candy straight away.

“It’s as pink as Hana’s hair.” I said without thinking, holding up to my head as I grinned. “Do I look just like her?”

“Now that I think about it, you two are completely different.” PBG said after finishing his bite. “Not only your eye color, but the way your hair is too. Your’s is kind of curly while Hana’s is straight. You don’t even act the same.”

“Well, we are two different people…” I said as I looked down at the pink candy floss in my hands, dismissing the comment since he looked much better. “So I am guessing you two are getting along then?”

“Yeah. Everything is going great.” He said, deciding to go back to what happened in the movie theater. “I didn’t mean to… you don’t think that people were bothered by me screaming in there, do you?”

“Well, if they are, they should have stayed home. Going to the movies is a communal experience. They had the gall to clap after you left! I was so mad I coated the crowd in popcorn!” I pouted.

PBG laughed. “You did that? For me.”

“Of course I did. I care a lot about you… I’m glad you asked me out even though things ended up how they did.” I mumbled, becoming flustered. 

“I’m glad I did.” PBG laughed as he finished his cotton candy, his mouth and fingers stained blue. “You're almost as pink as your cotton candy.” He teased.

*****************************************************************************************************

We walked up to Primrose House, the air reminding me of the night PBG and I went to get our games. It wasn’t the weather that was the same, but the feeling. As if there was something more that one of us wanted to say.

“Yunna… I…” He started to say before he trailed off. “Wait, you don’t think that guy is going to come back tonight, do you?”  
I let out a deep breath, not knowing I was holding my breath to begin with. 

_I need to stop expecting more… I’m going to make myself sick if I don’t…_

“I… I don’t think so. I’ve pretty much have been keeping an eye out for anyone following me, and no one has so far. I think I am okay for now.”

PBG gave me a slow nod. “...Please. Please be safe.” He then shuffled as if he wanted to do something but couldn’t. “Text me if anything happens. You still have my number, right?”

“No… You never gave it to me.” I said as he pulled out his phone. 

“Here.” He said his hands brushed against mine as he handed me his phone.

My heart raced as I typed it in then handed his phone back, realizing that his entry didn’t have a photo. “Um… do you want to take a picture for your contact avatar?”

“Sure!” He said as he grabbed he phone again, now flipped to the front facing camera. He then shouldered me into a hug. “Say cheese!” 

The phone flashed, PBG now pulling away from me. “Here, I’ll text you.”

His text was two emoji’s: a cookie and a shark. Another text then came up, this time the photo we just took. PBG’s smile ended up coming out perfect while I was looking up at him in bewilderment.

“Got it. Thanks. It came out good.” I laughed as I took a good look at the photo. 

“Good. Text me if you need anything. Anything at all! I mean it.” He said as he put his phone to sleep. “It’ll be better if you text me, because I will be worried all night anyways.”

“I’ll text you when I get back in my room?” I offered, putting the picture as his avatar now.

“Yeah. It doesn't inconvenience me at all. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“Great! Now get inside, it’s cold.” he said as he walked me up the stairs.

“Thanks.” I said as I remembered an old story, bowing. “‘I may be the moon, and you may be the sun, but we will meet again when the day is done.’”

“What’s that from?” PBG asked.

“It’s a goodbye a family friend used to say when he had the chance to visit. It really stuck with me. I sound like a noblewoman when I think about it.”

“Well, good night, my lady.” He said as he bowed to me. “Until the sun rises again.”

I giggled as I walked back into the dorm, giving him one last wave through the glass before I headed up the stairs. 

_I miss him already… I wish he would just tell me about him and Hana being a thing! It would be so much easier… Oh well... I better catch up on my sleep for the tournament._

I jumped as I heard my phone ring, recognizing Hana’s ringtone. “Speak of the devil..” I said as I answer it. “Hana?”

“ _Yunna! Guess what?_ ”

“What?”

“ _I’m coming back to Japan! Apparently, your uncle introduced my father to an art museum curator a month ago and they are hiring him to make an entire exhibit. He even bought me a ticket so I can see it when it is finished this week! I’m going to visit my father to congratulate him personally, but I will have enough time to visit you at your tournament! Isn’t that great!?_ ”

“That’s wonderful, Hana! I can’t wait to see you!”

“ _Same! And don’t tell PBG I told you, but I am totally going to make him tell you something he has been confiding with me for weeks!_ ”

I held back a sigh. “Well, I can’t wait. I’ll see you then.”

“ _You don’t sound very excited._ ”

I stood in front of my dorm room, wanting to finish the conversation outside so I wouldn’t wake Mai up. “I’ve been stressed lately. I haven’t been getting better and the tournament is right around the corner...”  
“ _Don’t worry! You’ll do fine. See you in a few days._ ” Hana said, clearly unconvinced

“See you in a few days. Night, Hana.” I hesitated before finally deciding I shouldn’t hide what was happening from Hana since I told PBG. “Hana, wait!”

“ _What is it?_ ”  
“Well…” I then start to tell what I told PBG earlier that day about the stalker and there was silence over the phone.

“ _As unsettling as that is, don’t worry about it. Okay?_ ” She said after she let the story sink in. “ _With everyone there protecting you, you’ll be fine._ ”

“I hope you are right. I’ll see you when I see you. Night.”

After I hung up, I pulled up my messenger app and send a quick text to PBG that I was heading to bed, falling asleep in my clothes.


	8. Midnight Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day after mid-terms and PBG invites Yunna to go get a game.

The day after the whole incident was normal. It was nice to have a calm day after so much chaos. A few weeks has passed since then and we had our first real test of the semester. I was able to get a 95, which let me keep my scholarship to continue going to Asago. The Asago Strikers were also able to win their first match without PBG and the entire school celebrated except for him. Other then that, he pretty much acted like the PBG we all knew and… loved.

The day after the game, PBG came up to me. 

“PBG! What’s up?” I asked, seeing him slightly pink again. “PBG? Yoo-hoo!”

“I’m there! Um… I was wondering… If… you…”

I nodded to him, hoping he would finish what he was going to say.

“You will!?”

“‘I will’ what? You kind of left out that part.”

“Oh, right.” He mumbled. “So, there is this game coming out and they are going to do a midnight release for it. It’s a really cool game. It’s about all these little animals living together in a village and you come along and join it and live with them. Do you want to come with me?”

“That sounds cute! What do you do with the animals?” I asked, thinking back to all the Nokemon friends I made when I used to have Jade version. 

“In the game?” PBG thought for a moment. “You befriend them, and go fishing, and fossil hunting, and there are festivals… You can decorate your house and wear different outfits. It’s too cute!”

“Sold!” I shouted, the game sounding too good not to look at. Even if I couldn’t get a copy of it myself, it would be fun to see the fan base that was around it. “It sounds perfect for you.”

“I’ll say. I think you would like it too, Yunna.” He then looked around and blushed. “I… also wanted to thank you for the hot springs.”

I held a finger up to my lips. “Exnay on the hot springsbay…”

He laughed. “So what do you think?”

“I thought I said yes already? I can only keep you company, though…”

“Um… yeah. That’s fine, I guess.” He then glanced away from me.

_What could be…? Oh, Hana…_

I took a deep breath. “Okay. Cool.”

“Great! I’ll pick you up tonight!” He said, now looking at the clock. “So… do you want to get lunch? I’m sure everyone is wondering where we are.”

“Yeah.” I said as I smiled, feeling a little tired of hiding my feelings. “Lunch sounds good.”

*****************************************************************************************************

I was dressed in a green blouse and jeans that had skulls decorated on the pockets. When I did one last check in the mirror, he came to pick me up at the exact time he told me. To be honest, it surprised me a little.

“Going somewhere?” Mai poked her head out from her bunk. “Oh! PBG!”

PBG and Mai exchanged glances. I then started to kick myself mentally.

_I totally forgot to tell Mai about PBG picking me up! How could I forget to tell her!?_

“Have fun!” She called, a grin on her face before turning to PBG. “You better bring her back safely or I will hunt you down with a lance made out of toothpicks!”

“Yes, ma’am.” PBG saluted.

We had stepped out into the darkness of night, shivering as I felt the cold air hit me. I didn’t expect it to be this cold. It never went below freezing where I lived in the States. So I had only really packed for spring and summer weather. Instead of saying anything, I did my best to huddle myself to keep warm as we walked to the train station.

 _Much better_ I thought as I entered the train, the warmth bringing the life back into me. 

“I don’t think I will get used to traveling around by train anytime soon.” I said as I sat down. “Where is the game store, anyway?”

“There is a local one in the city. I like to go to it when I can to support them. Also, they have a puppy there!” He said happily, only to frown the next second. “You’re not allergic to dogs, are you?”

I giggled. “Don’t worry. I’m not. I actually love animals. I seem to have a way with them…”

“We had one and home and I miss him so much.”

“Aw, how cute.”

“Yeah. My parents got me him for Christmas because I was missing Hana so much.” he said, now realizing he was talking about Hana. “Sorry. I keep going on about Hana.”

I smiled and nodded. “No, that’s okay. You were fated to meet. So… what was the dog’s name?”

“It’s a him. And it’s… not important.”

“Come on, tell me. You are not one of those kids who name their Nokemon rival ‘Jerkface’ or something, are you?”

“I’m not. And… It’s fine.”

I summoned my sisterly powers as I glared at him.

“There is no reason to…” He mumbled as I continued to stare him down, finally giving in. “Haru.”

_Doesn’t that mean spring? That’s actually very cute…_

“A-anyways, follow me.” He said as the train arrived at the station. “It’s a bit harder to find in the dark.”

I braced myself for the cold as I followed him down a lot of streets and pathways. I gazed up at the tall buildings. We didn’t really have any as tall as these back where I lived. The only one was only ten stories where there were so many put together in one place. I then decided to test how cold it was, breathing out heavily and watching a white cloud billow from my mouth. 

“Here it is!” He said as we turned one last corner to see a long line of people. “It shouldn’t be long, now.”

There were a lot more people than I expected. But then again, I lived in an area where video games were not as accepted as they were here. We got in line behind a guy with a green-colored mohawk. 

“Yunna, are you okay?” He asked.

I looked up at him as I shook violently beside him. “Y-y-yes, why?”

“You look like you need to pee.”

“N-no. I’m fine…” I said before I let out a sneeze loud enough for the entire line of people to look back at me. “Excuse m-m-me.”

He then looked me up and down. “Why don’t you have a jacket on? It’s cold!”

“I-I never e-expected t-t-t-to be this c-cold…” I said as I shivered. “And I-I-I don’t really h-have any c-clothes for this kind of w-weather an-n-ny way…”

“Well, I’m a bit cold too.” He said, his cheeks starting to glow. “M-maybe we should huddle… for warmth! Plus I’m wearing a jacket, so...” PBG then opened his jacket to me, looking away. “So.. you can…”

I couldn’t bare the cold anymore, deciding to ease my back against his chest. I tucked my arms in front of me as he wrapped his jacket around us. Thankfully I was thin enough to fit inside, his head now resting top of my head somehow. I felt myself warming up really quick, unsure if it was from us huddling together or from all the blood rushing to my face. I snuggled in a little closer, hints of vanilla and cinnamon floated around me.

_He smells good… I want something sweet now…_

“Warmer now?” He asked.

I refrained from nodding my head. “Y-yeah. Much warmer.”

“Good.” He said, now noticing the line was moving. “Hey! Look! We can go in to get our games!”

_Our...? He probably misspoke._

We had filed in, PBG letting me go as he walked toward the register. I wandered off to look at some of the other games that were there. They were crazy expensive and most I didn’t want other then maybe the newest Nokemon game. So I was kind of glad I was a PC gamer that could get games much cheaper. After exploring a bit, I wandered over to PBG.

“Here is your order, Mr.ButterGamer.” The salesperson said as they handed him his bag.

He then looked in the bag. “Uh, I preordered two.”

The salesperson then looked at the screen, agreeing with him that he did.

 _Probably for Hana…_ I thought, remembering that she told me dad had recently sent her a 4DS of her own.  
PBG then paid and thanked the salesperson, and we left with the games in hand. I glanced at him, wanting to ask him who the other game was for.

“What?” He asked after a few blocks of walking. 

“Nothing!” I said as I blushed.

We then ran for the last train, barely making it on in time.

“That was close!” He said, panting. “At least we made it. And look! An entire compartment to ourselves!”

I nodded I continued to glare at PBG until he asked me again why I was staring at him.

“Sorry!” I apologized. “ I’m curious who the other game is for? It can’t be Jon. Maybe Jirard? Or… Hana?”

“Oh! Right!” He said as he dug through the bag, now handing me one of the games. “This is yours.”

“What?”

“This!” He then put the still-wrapped game into my hands. “This is for you! I got it for you. Sorry I didn’t give it to you back when we were in the store, but I wanted to make sure that we didn’t miss the train.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. “I’ll pay you back. This is way to expensive to accept as a gift.”

“Don’t worry about it. I got it for you.” He said as he put on a fake frown. “If you don’t take it, I’ll be saaaaaaaad.”

I giggled. “... Okay.” I looked over the cover, reading ‘Animal Intersection’. It was covered in a variety of different animals with the odd human here and there. I smiled at the game, tears stinging my eyes.

“Happy?”

I nodded. “I can’t wait to play it when I get back.”

“Er… wait and play it after school tomorrow.”

“Aw, it’s one of those games that is on a real time day/night cycle?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I guess I waited this long. What’s a few more hours?”

“Anyways, let’s get you to bed.” PBG laughed as the train’s intercom played. He walked me all the way over to the girls dorms. When we got to the door, he paused. “Hey, Yunna.”

I turned to his direction, listening intently. “Yes?”

“Do you think…” He started off, only to change his mind. “You know what, never mind. Thanks for coming with me tonight.”

“Thank you for inviting me… and for the game.” I blushed as he waved me inside.

“My lady.”

“Thank you for tending to me, good sir knight.” I said as I giggled. “Good night, PBG. This means a lot more to me then you will ever know.”

“Good night, Yunna.”

When I walked into my room, Mai was already asleep. I pulled my 4DS and plugged it into the wall for it to charge. I set the game next to it, excited to play it tomorrow. I then changed into my nightgown and climbed into bed, snuggling in the sheets.

_I had fun tonight…_

*****************************************************************************************************

“Yunna! Wake up!” Mai shouted, “You need to see this!”

I sat up, half-awake and half-understanding what was happening. I looked at Mai who had somewhat of a smile on her face. “¿Qué?”

“Also, you are going to be late. But look at this.” She then handed me a piece of paper with handwriting I was familiar with. 

“Arg… another one?”

“Looks like it. Just read it.”

I rub my eyes a little before reading the note.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Part Of My World_

Imagine a ball, and evening so swell  
I can be Prince Erik, you can be Arielle  
We’ll dance on the shore where we both fell in love  
And saw the moon dancing, so far up above

We’ll be just like that pair, I promise it dear  
Your hair glistens, glowing red off this pier  
Such a beautiful sight, from this glistening beach  
Do you have The Littlest Mermaid on Bisney DVD?

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“That last one was a stretch…” I noted as I looked up and Mai.

Mai frowned. “What? You don’t like it?”

I shook my head. “More like I don’t want it. Besides, it sounds like it’s talking about you with the ‘glowing red’ hair part.”

To my surprise, Mai started laughing. “You’re a true reader all right! Hoo boy, this is great! You’re as dense as a brick, Yunna! How would you like that note written, then?”

“I donno. I mean…” I then felt the gears in my mind starting to turn as I stood up to get dressed. “I mean, it kind of feels forced. It’s not coming from the heart. Akward, but not the right kind… You know? I guess I want it to feel more like...” I then start to blush red as I thought of PBG. “NO! I… I can’t!” I shouted, now half dressed.

“You can’t what?” Mai grinned.

“Nevermind.” I said as I finished dressing, adjusting my jacket. 

“OH, Yunna!” She cried out as she laughed, doubling over. She then leaned her entire body on me. “Sometimes I just want to _strangle_ you.”

_It’s more complicated then you know, Mai…_

“Anyway, you can’t get any breakfast, but at least you’re ready!” Mai chimed in as I dove for one of my desk drawers that always had emergency provisions, grabbing a piece of bread and jamming it in my mouth, now running to get to class.  
*****************************************************************************************************

I had just gotten to my desk that morning, overturning my backpack onto my desk. I didn’t feel like pulling everything out. As I organized everything, Ian approached me and initiated a conversation.

“Hana, my good friend. How _are_ you? ”

“Okay. And you?” I asked causiously.

_Okay, what angle are you pulling from, here?_

“Oh, I’m doing _well_. In fact, _my_ tournament training has been going better this year than ever before. I just landed in the top 20 highest scores in Japan. At number 20, but still. ”

“Intimidation won’t work on me, Ian.” I said as I looked down at my textbook. 

“Ah, is that right? And how are you doing on _your_ training, Yunna? ”

I grabbed my phone out of pure instinct. “Why? Need help getting to 20 on the world leader boards? Sorry, I can’t help you with that. To answer your question, though, I’m doing fine.”

“Damn, foiled again.” he spat.

I grinned, knowing he was going after my phone. 

_I’d like to see you try and get past my pattern lock._

“You mark my words, Yunna Readman. I _will_ win this tournament! And when I do, you can bet I will idly mock you the next time I see you in the cafeteria. ”

“Oh, yeah? Well, that goes both ways, Ian. And I will be much too humble to resort to such low-brow mockery!” I called after him as he huffed to his seat, my fighting spirit burning brightly.

Luke then raised his hand to give Ian a high five, only to get a glare strong enough to make anyone weaker freeze in fear.

_Two more weeks! I better double up on practice unless I want Ian to make good on that threat._


	9. Midnight Laughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunna gets a scare in the middle of the night and confronts someone she didn't expect to be behind it all.

I ended up waking up around midnight, willing myself out of bed. As much as I didn’t want to, I had convinced myself to get back into the grove of exercising again. As much as the stress of the tournament and Mr.Stalker gave me, I came to the realization that my daily walks in the morning actually gave me more energy for the rest of the day. 

Remembering I was still in my clothes from yesterday, I decided to change my workout clothes to sleep in, half dressed before hearing a knock on the door. I bolted to open it, Mai springing from her own bed as she tried to stop me. The only thing that met me at the door was the sound of haunting laughter and footsteps. 

“Fuck…” I muttered as quietly as I could. I turned to see Mai taking another note off the door and reading it out loud before I had the chance to.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My dearest Yunna, 

I’ve seen you hanging around with those other men. Those Normal Boots men. I cannot abide by it any longer.

Please, stop hanging around them. It’s tearing me apart, Yunna!

Any more of this, and I might lose my mind!

Yours ever,  
The Admirer.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anger consumed me. I wanted to tear up the letter. I wanted to shout. To throw a fit, lash out. But I just stood there, helpless and shaking on the spot. But just as I was about to lose it, a memory from last night bubbled up.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“...Please. Please be safe.” PBG then shuffled as if he wanted to do something but couldn’t. “Text me if anything happens.”

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

I walked over to my desk and picked up my phone, seeing PBG had replied the night before. I opened up a new text.

 ** _[12:04] Yunna:_** They came again. They left a threat this time.

I hadn’t even put my phone to sleep before I got my reply.

 ** _[12:05] PBG:_** I’m coming.

_Wait, he’s coming now?!_

**_[12:05] Yunna:_** Don’t come! I’ll talk to you when I get to class.

I waited for him to respond, but nothing came.

“Hana?” a male voice came from behind the door.

I looked at Mai who was now looking down at me from on top her bed. My heart was racing as I opened the door, revealing a winded PBG.

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you? I didn’t see anyone on the way…” He then gave me a quick one over. “Why are you dressed like that?”

“Uh…” I looked down and saw I had the jeans I had on yesterday and my workout top that showed off my figure a little too well. So I tried to change topics. “I’m fine. You didn’t have to run all the way over here...”

“Thank goodness…” He said as he pulled me into a sudden hug, the air leaving my lungs. I felt the heat of his breath and the cold spots from his jacket. 

I tucked my arms into my body to keep me from hugging him back. “T-They were laughing when they r-r-ran… They just slammed the note onto the door...and they… they laughed… as if it was fun…”

I felt the energy start to drain from my body. The lack of sleep and the realization that I was in shock up until now getting to me. I leaned against PBG for a moment to gather enough strength to stand again and to grab the note. 

“I really don’t like this.” He frowned as he read it. “Yunna, I’ll be there for you no matter what! You don’t need to be afraid of this guy, because I will protect you! So...” he trailed off, seeing the brooding look on my face. “So feel free to decide how you want to deal with the situation. I know this is… difficult for you. I’ll support you no matter what.”

I sighed. “I… I’ll deal with it myself.” 

“Oh, no. I’m not letting you do anything by…” He started to argue before I held up my hand.

“No! I’m not getting anyone else involved. It’s my problem.” I said firmly.

“This isn’t something you can handle on your own. If you did, you wouldn’t have texted me.” PBG countered.

“But...I said I’ll handle it!” I sobbed. I could no longer hold back the tears of stress. “I have to take care of it… It’s my problem… No one else…” I tried to hide my face as I broke down completely. “PBG…!”

“It’s okay…” He cooed, giving me a pat on the head. “It’s okay. You must have been really scared. Why don’t we take some more time to think about what to do, okay? Together. I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer.”

I hiccuped as I nodded, feeling him now rubbing my back as I cried and cried. I lost track of time for a little bit as I continued to bawl in front of Mai and PBG.

_I must look so ugly._

I finally ran out of tears to shed, feeling much better after letting it all out. “T-thank you, PBG. I’m sorry you had to see that…” I said at last. “I feel much better now. I’m sorry to wake you up in the middle of the night…”

“It’s fine. I wasn’t sleeping well anyway.” He admitted. “The jog probably did me some good!”

I looked up at him, seeing him smiling down at me. “Yeah… I should probably go back to bed now… and you should head back to your room before you get in trouble.”

“Oh. Right. Can’t really stick around the girl’s dorm, now can I?” He still looked worried despite his joking around.

“That’s right. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

“... Okay. Just be sure to lock the door after I leave, okay?” He said as he started to walk out the door. “Text me if there are any problems. And draw your curtains shut. You don’t want anyone trying to look in from the outside.”

I smiled, wanting to laugh. “Okay, okay. I will. Now go to bed.” Against my better judgment, I went to give him a quick hug. “Thanks, PBG.”

“No problem.” He muttered before finally leaving.

I closed and locked the door behind him and drew the curtains shut like he asked, now turning of the light. Mai snickered in her bunk as I cuddled Bessie into my chest. I rolled my eyes in the darkness as I let her continue to giggle as she settled into her bunk and I tried to calm myself down to sleep.

_I know what you are thinking, Mai. And I am sorry to disappoint you when I tell you what is really happening when Hana gets to Japan again. Although… I’m really glad to have PBG looking out for me… I feel a lot safer. It’s a lot easier having someone to help out. I’m so used to dealing with everything on my own…_

*****************************************************************************************************

I woke up at six, still groggy from all the crying I did. I changed into the rest of my workout outfit before deciding to abandon my exercise again today. I didn’t feel up to it. I did some stretches anyway, my body still stiff from sleeping. As I stretched, I started to think about how I could possibly deal with Mr. Stalker. 

_What to do now? It is obvious we need to learn who the guy is, but how? A stake out? Tell the teacher what’s happening and try to figure out things from there? Hm… This isn’t adding up…_

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Thank goodness…”

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

I blushed as my thoughts drifted to PBG, slapping my cheeks.

_Focus!_

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“You’re a true reader all right! Hoo boy, this is great! You’re as dense as a brick, Yunna! How would you like that note written, then?”

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

I grunted in frustration for a moment until it hit me. I wandered over to my desk and turned on my lamp, pulling out all the Secret Admirer notes out. I took a good, hard look at each of them, finally realizing what was in front of me this entire time.

“I’m so freaking blind!” I whisper-shouted to myself. “That’s why I don’t like them!”

_They are not written with love! Someone is trying to fake it! And to stay away from Normal boots… this really reduces who it could possibly be…_

I jumped when I heard a soft thump outside my door. I ran over and yanked the door open, hoping to see Mr.Stalker in the flesh, but I had no such luck. My foot brushed against something that was in the way of the entryway. The feeling was similar to how a cat feels like when it brushes up against you. I looked down to see PBG sprawled out onto the floor, his eyes drawn on his eyelids. 

“PBG…” I muttered as I put two and two together.

_He stayed here all night?_

He let off a soft snore, sleeping soundly. I sighed as I headed back in and grabbed some makeup remover, tissues and a water bottle before I started to prod him awake. “PBG… PBG, wake up. You need to get out of here before someone sees you.” He moaned as he started to wake up. I nudged him this time with the palm of my hand. “Come on sleepy head.”

Giving up for now, I kneeled down and lifted his head into my lap before started to clean off whatever marker he used on his eyelids as quickly as I could, being as gentle I wouldn’t wake him up. Once I was finished with my work, I set his head back down only for him to grab my wrist and pull me into a full-body hug. He snuggled into me, his legs wrapped around my own, pinning me with his weight. It was a moment of weakness for me. My arms wrapped around him, cuddling against him.

_Just this once. Just this once then I will let go…_

I looked up at his sleeping face, my heart racing as I realized how close we were now. 

_He’s so defenceless like this… I could kiss…_

I shook my head, trying to pull away from him.

_No. It’s not fair, to either of us._

I took a breath, getting ready to shout. “PBG, WAKE UP!” I then started pushing him as hard as I could away from me.

He was flung away from me, giving a large grunt as I ended up hitting him in the stomach with the palms of my hands. He rolled away just enough for me to stand up and adjust my clothes.  
“Yunna… what was that for?” He moaned as he sat up.

“Sorry for the rude awakening, but you need to get out of here.” I growled, now in a bad mood.

“What? Why?” He asked.

I simply glared at him, crossing my arms against my chest as my face still glowed red from our embrace. 

“Oh, oops…” It was only after realizing where exactly where he was that his own face started to flush. “Sorry, Yunna, you weren’t supposed to know that I’ve been here.”

“So you were here all night?” I asked, looking at him from the side.

“Well…” He mumbled. “It wasn’t _all_ night.”

“I told you to go to sleep.” I sighed.

“I wouldn’t have been able to sleep if I didn’t know you were safe.” He said simply. 

“Not like you slept at all…” I said as I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “Well, while you are here, I might as well tell you: Hana is coming back to Japan for a visit, so you will probably get the chance to see her. She will be dropping by on the day of the tournament.”

“Really?” PBG said with much less enthusiasm than I thought he would give. “That’s good. Then we can all hang out.”

“Yeah, as long as you keep your nose clean. Now go!”

“Alright! Alright!” He said as he started to head down the hallway, only to turn around halfway down. “Hey, this might sound weird, but I had a dream where I was…”

“Go to bed, PBG!” I shouted as I walked into my room before I could hear him finish, slamming the door behind me. I opened the curtains with a flourish, letting the light stream into the room. I then climbed up to Mai’s bunk, ready to give another rude awakening.

_The last thing I want to hear is about his dreams about his girlfriend… Besides, I have bigger fish to fry. Let’s lay a trap for Mr.Stalker!_

*****************************************************************************************************

I had finished writing down my plan on a notebook I had borrowed from Mai. I then headed over to PBG’s desk. 

“Y-Yunna!” He stammered, “I’m sorry about last night… I didn’t…”

“Never mind about that!” I interrupted, now presenting the notebook to him. “I came up with a plan to catch this guy/girl/whoever it is!”

“I’ve been meaning to...Wait, what?” 

I pointed at the notebook again, a detailed map of the hallway drawn with notes scribbled all around it. “I want to catch whoever has been writing those notes! I’m tired of standing by and letting things happen. It’s time to act.” I then glance away from him. “And as much as I would like to handle this all on my own… I can’t. I need your help.”

A smile formed on his lips as he pointed to his chest that swelled with pride. “Of course! Leave it to me! You should know by now - if you ever need help with anything, I’ll come running. I’ll definitely protect you with everything I got!”

“That… that means a lot to me, PBG. Thank you.” I said as I fought back tears.

“So, how are we going to do this?” He asked as he looked down at the paper in front of him.

“I have a plan.” I said as I pushed my glasses up with my index finger.

“Yunna… you look a little scary now…”

“Don’t worry. _You’ll_ be safe.” I grinned like a cat playing with a mouse. “But let’s talk of this elsewhere, shall we? A little ‘alone time’ should also help draw them out.” I winked at him as I grabbed his wrist, now pulling him out of the room.

*****************************************************************************************************

I was on my second can of Mountain Mist, my leg bouncing up and down as I kept an ear to the door, ready to spring into action. PBG was in his position and ready to go as well. It was just a matter of time. With the display that PBG and I made earlier, I found it hard to believe that Mr.Stalker would skip leaving a message tonight. 

_Were we too obvious? No, couldn’t be. He has to come._

I glanced at my phone every ten minutes. I watched as time passed from eleven to almost one in the morning.

But at fifteen till one, the Admirer’s signature thump hit against the door. “STOP RIGHT THERE!” I ordered, now face to face with the silhouette of the person who was plaguing me. With a yelp, the person ran, the light too dark to see his face properly. 

“Too late!” PBG shouted as he threw a blanket over the Admirer’s head as he burst from the bathroom. The Admirer was then disoriented, leaving PBG an opportunity to tackle him to the ground.

“Get off of me!” A familiar voice said as he struggled against the blanket.

“No!” PBG shouted. “Stop struggling!” As soon as PBG had pinned him to the ground, I lifted the blanket off, a disoriented Luke now looking up at the both of us. “Luke!? But… but… Why have you been doing this to Yunna? Why are you trying to hurt her?”

“He’s not.” I said as I pulled on PBG’s jacket, trying to get him to stand. PBG nodded as he got off of Luke, who was now rolling his shoulders and mumbling to himself. “He was trying to distract me from the tournament. Weren’t you, Luke?”

Luke raised his hands in surrender as he smiled. “Uh, yeah. I was. How did you figure that out?”

“It became very obvious when I took the time to calm down and re-read all the notes. Why, though?”

“The notes?” Luke asked, now leaning on his heels. “I thought they would be a pleasant way of distracting you. Everybody likes to have people crushing on them.”

“Well, you picked the wrong person.” I said as I glared at him. “Those notes have been a nightmare!”

“Yeah. They did backfire a bit…” He admitted. “I was in too deep to go back… so… I’m sorry.”

“In too deep?” PBG asked, glaring at him just as hard as I was.

“Yeah.” He said as he kicked softly with one of his legs, his face starting to blush. “See, I didn’t mean anything by it, but over time I ended up falling for you, Yunna.”

“What?” PBG and I stammered.

“Crazy, right?” Luke shrugged. “So, I made up my mind.” Luke then turned to PBG, pointing his index finger at him. “If I win the tournament, PBG, I’m going to confess to Yunna!” he declared.

Everything was happening too suddenly. I didn’t know what to do but to stand there and listen to what was happening, watching the two of them stare at each other. PBG looked like he was out of it.

“It’s up to you how the rest of this plays out.” Luke said as he turned to leave. “May the best man win, eh?” He winked at the both of us as we were frozen on our spots. “I better get a good night’s sleep if I want to win. No way I can lose now. See you tomorrow!”

We defrosted after he left. I turned to PBG who was looking very solemn now.

“PBG… are you okay?” I asked, my heart racing as I waited for his answer.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He said as sighed with frustration. “I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

“Same here… I didn’t expect him to do something like this…” I said as I blushed.

_He thinks PBG likes like that too, huh?_

“You don’t like him, do you!?” PBG asked accusingly.

I can feel my hair bristle up. “NO! I don’t even really know him!”

 _He almost sounds like he is jealous…_ I thought, causing me to blush more.

He looked even more unconvinced. “Well… well, well I am not going to lose to him, got it!? So even if you do want him to win, he’s not gonna! I’m gonna win, me!” He then pumped his fist into the air.

“Hell, yeah!” I shouted with him, my own fist joining his. “Show him what you're made of!”

We then stood there in silence until Mai opened the door in her pj’s. 

“So, we got him?” She asked, yawning.

PBG screamed in surprised, making me laugh a little before I tried to explain what had just happened. “Well, Luke was…”

PBG shook his head. “Yunna, you better get some rest. And I gotta get out of here before someone finds me.”

“O-okay…” I muttered, rubbing my arm. “Good night.”

_I don’t want you to leave… I want to clear this misunderstanding between us and Luke. I want to sort out how you feel about me… or Hana… No. It can wait. The tournament comes before my petty feelings._

“Night.” PBG mumbled as he waved halfheartedly.

Mai watched him go, clearly concerned with what just happened. “What’s wrong with him?”

“It’s a long story…” I sighed. 

“So…” Mai grinned. “Luke wants to confess to you?”

I gasped then started to smack Mai’s shoulder with both hands. “You were listening the entire time!?”

“Of course! You guys are in the middle of the hallway and were shouting.” Mai said as she pointed out all of the heads that were poking out of various doorways. 

Mimi then started shouting at us to shut up while Kakusu wanted to join in whatever we were doing. I apologized to everyone before Mai and I walked back into our room.

Mai smiled with her hands on her hips. “I guess it’s good everything sorted out, though. Now you can get some sleep and kick ass tomorrow!”

“Well, not too much. I need to pick up Hana from the airport…” I mumbled as I dragged my body to bed.

“WHAT!? And you didn’t tell me?” Mai shouted as she loomed over me. 

“I wanted it to be a surprise?” I offered, Mai clearly not buying it. 

“Man, what a day for me to have a game.” She mumbled as she flipped off the lights. 

 

It took a while for me to get to sleep.


	10. The Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally the day of the tournament! How will things turn out?

I woke up the next day, feeling anxious on how everything would turn out. I looked at myself in the mirror and tried to psych myself up.

_Everything is going to be okay. You practiced months for this! Just do your best! So what if I haven’t spent as much time on the game compared to Ian? You can do this! You want to join Normal Boots, right? Well! Let’s do this!_

I dressed up in my uniform and hurried out the door without speaking a word, Mai still asleep from last nights events. Her game was later in the day and I didn’t want her to be as tired as I was.

Thankfully, Hana would arrive at the train station, leaving me plenty of time to get over to the mall for the tournament. I couldn’t help but to smile when I saw her halo of pink hair in the crowd.

“HANA!” I shouted, waving my arm as wildly as I could.

“Yunna!” She shouted back, her leather bag in tow. “I’m so happy to see you!”

“Same here! Come on! My event is one of the first ones, so we got some time to look around.”

*****************************************************************************************************

We arrived at the arcade, the lights and music blaring out. It was much bigger than the arcade that we had back home but also smaller than I expected. There were many smaller rooms that split off the various competitions. People milled around, some in their twenties, a few in their thirties, and more that were around our age group.

“Don’t worry, you’ll do fine!” Hana encouraged. “You’re really good! You beaten me plenty of times!”

 

“Thanks, Hana.” I mumbled, giving her a quick hug.

We then entered the room that I was assigned to. It featured a stage with two chairs in the center and a projector that was hooked up to a computer with a pair of controllers. A demo of the very game I was about to play was dancing on the white canvas. Ian then climbed up and sat in one of the chairs, looking bored out of his mind.

“I better get going. Wish me luck.” I said to Hana, who now watched me climb the steps to one of the chairs. Ian turned as he heard my footsteps. “Good morning, Ian.”

“It’s about time you showed up. I was beginning to worry that you wouldn’t show up.” he scoffed.

I smiled at him. “Aw, that’s sweet of you to be worried about me. I would have been here sooner, but I had to pick up a friend of mine.”

“Did you now?” He asked.

I nodded. “Yep. But you can meet her later.”

I sat in the chair next to him, a man walking up to me and asked for my name and club affiliation. I grinned as I said I was a Normal Boots club member, sitting up a little straighter. I looked over and saw the sea of chairs that slowly filled up with people, waving at Hana who was now being swarmed with the rest of the Normal Boots guys. I chuckled, hoping Hana wasn’t having too much of a rough time explaining. I couldn’t see PBG anywhere, though.

_Where is he?_

As I scanned the crowd, I saw the Hidden Block group, Luke waving frantically at me. He gave me a thumbs up when he saw I was looking in his direction, making Ian roll his eyes.

“Would it kill you to root for your own teammate? Ian shouted into the crowd.

I giggled as I was facing the screen again. The lights dimmed as the menu of Dumbidoom’s Revenge now displayed. 

_Okay, Yunna, time to put on your game face._

As the emcee said his introduction and started to explain the rules, Ian turned to me with a grin on his face. “Sure you are ready for this?”

“You don’t know the half of it.” I said as I turned to him with a grin of my own, Ian now backing up a bit. 

“Ready to go?” The emcee asked us. We both nodded, our eyes glued to the screen.

“Then…” The emcee said as he started our countdown. “3… 2… 1… _START!_ ”

I started my game off by placing a couple of traps as Ian worked with what he had. I then started to clear up line after line of blocks, doing my best to get better combos. The combination I had wasn’t very good, so I had to make matches when I could. I had gotten rid of all of my pinks, now deciding to get rid of greens next.  
Dumbidoom was hovering on the top half of my screen. It was clear Ian was ranking up quite the combo. I did my best to prepare myself for the rain of blocks headed my way. I moved a single block, surprised that I was able to get another three combo out of it. Then, it happened, a reveal triggered. I saw a combination that could get me a ten or more combo if I did it just right. The trigger was a single swipe. 

Just as soon as I saw it, my block turned to normal. I laughed darkly as I looked over at Ian. “Gotcha.” As Ian’s blocks cascaded onto my castle, I slid the combo into place.

“ ** _Two! Three! Four Combo! Five Combo! SIX COMBO! SEVEN COMBO! EIGHT COMBO!_** ”

I worked quickly to set up more combos and the chain continued, Ian’s blocks continuing to rain down and helped aid me in my quest to keep the chain going.

“ ** _TEN COMBO!! LEGENDARY!!! EXTRAORDINARY!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!_** ”

Dumbidoom started to coat Ian’s zone with a devastating shower of glitter, and then…

Blocks. So many blocks that Ian didn’t know where to begin. They came in thick sheets over his kingdom, sliding left to right, and back again. Ian blinked hard, doing his best to keep up with the chaos that his screen was now in, his hand darting around everywhere as he tried to keep up.

I kept up my assault, but not needing to for very long. Ian’s screen was filling up with blocks, quicker than he could get rid of them. 

“ ** _GAME OVER!_** ”

It took me a second to realize that I had won. I stared at my username blinking on the screen, the picture of the stray cat I took care of back home now displayed for all to see. Ian’s mouth hung open. The room was silent.

“YEAH! YUNNA!” Hana shouted as she jumped up from her chair.

The Normal Boots Club then started to join in her cheering, the crowd soon following suit. 

“I’ve never seen a score that high!” The announcer said as he gasped at the screen.

I was grinning from ear to ear, jumping off the platform.

“Not so fast.” Ian said as he followed me down, laughing instead of giving me a snarky remark like I expected. “That was a hell of a game, Yunna! That’s exactly what I wanted from you!” He held his hand in the air. “Don’t leave me hanging.” I gave him a high five, Ian now clasping onto my hands. ”Thanks, Yunna. That was a lot of fun.”

I thanked him for the game before he wandered off into the crowd. I did my best to weave my way through the crowd, trying to find PBG in hopes of saying good luck before his match. But Hana and Luke found me first. 

“Yunna!” Hana shouted. “There you are!”

“Hey, have you seen PBG?” I asked her as I did my best to keep my distance from Luke. 

“What are you doing, weirdo?” Luke asked. “I haven’t seen PBG anywhere, and our match is going to start in an hour.”

She shook her head. “No, I looked everywhere for him and I haven’t seen him. Where could he be?”

I grabbed my phone and started to dial PBG’s number.

“No… no no no no…” I mumbled as I got his voicemail, just knowing he was still asleep because of what happened last night. “Hana! We have to hurry! Thanks Luke~!”

I then bolted out of the arcade, Hana trailing behind me and asking questions. I then explained what had happened, Hana now starting to run faster to keep up.

_No matter what… He has to… PBG has to win this round!_

*****************************************************************************************************

Thankfully, Jon had left the door unlocked, assuming that PBG was going to leave after he did. I slammed the door open, heading over to PBG’s bed and shaking him awake.

“PBG! WAKE UP!” Hana and I shouted. Hana pulled the sheets off of him, revealing that he was fully dressed in his clothes. 

“Huh? Wha? What is it?” PBG said with a start. He then looked at the two of us. “Okay, I’m seeing double.”

“Now is not the time for jokes!” Hana shouted as she threw his Harvest Noon toys at him. “Thank goodness you are already dressed! You are going to be late for your event!”

“GET UP RIGHT NOW YOU IDIOT OR YOU ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE YOUR EVENT IN FORTY FIVE MINUTES!” I screamed, almost straddling him as I climbed onto his bed.

“What?” He asked as I pulled him out.

“YOU CAN’T LOSE TO LUKE! DO YOU HEAR ME!? YOU CAN’T!!!”

“Oh, no!” He shouted, grabbing my hand and pulling me out the door. “Come on, let’s go!”

Together, the three of us ran out the door, PBG’s long legs making more distance than I could keep up with. He was dragging me along, Hana quickly losing us.

“Did I miss your event?” He asked as we continued to run.

“Y-yeah… You did. Sorry…” I panted. 

“Sorry, how did you do?” 

“I won!”

“Really! Yunna, that’s amazing!”

I ran a little faster now. “Thanks! I’m so glad that I was able to win!”

“You should be!” PBG said as he smiled as we ran across the campus, down the street, and into the mall, Hana now a small pinprick behind us.

“I’m so glad that I decided to join Normal Boots! I’m having so much fun! I never really had anything to look forward to until now. I really want to work with games now.”

PBG stopped, the arcade now surrounding us. We were both panting hard, Hana now a few feet behind us and just as winded.

“Too… Fast…” She puffed as PBG finally noticed her.

“Hana!” He shouted as he went to hug her, the two of them giggling.

I bit my tongue to keep me from crying. I smiled at at them. “Well, you better get to your event.”

PBG nodded as Hana tried to pull him inside. He waved her off and stared at me with steel in his eyes. “Yunna. I won’t lose. No matter what, I am not going to lose to Luke!” He then grabbed my shoulders. “Not in this match, and not in anything else! Do you hear me?”

I blushed red, giving him small nod. “Yes, I hear you.”

Hana was now looking at the two of us with a blank stare.

PBG smiled at me. “There are things at stake that are important to me, so… No matter what, I’m going to do my best. Will you be there?” He then turned to Hana.

 _Wait… what? Oh… Is he confusing me for Hana?_ I thought as my heart was racing again, getting a little confused.

“Oh, yeah!” Hana said “Of course I will!” 

“That’s all I need.” He said as the two of them smiled at each other. 

I took a deep breath and smiled the best I could. “Come on! We better get you signed up!”

PBG filled out his registration at the front desk then we headed into the pinball area. We found Luke already playing on a machine and a lady who was watching told us he was on his last leg. We then heard Luke shout as his last ball missed the flippers on the bottom, his final total adding up. The number 1,375,200 flashed.

“Is that a really high score?” Hana asked.

“A really high score.” I acknowledged.

“You have to beat that?” Hana asked PBG, flabbergasted.

“It’ll be tough, but I think I can do it.” PBG grinned. He stretched out his neck as he approached the machine, like a professional getting ready to do his work. The machine had an alien theme that reminded me of an old game that used to be on an old computer operating system that my dad had. There was a spaceship, a UFO the ball could enter complete with grey aliens as bumpers around it, planets, and other space related objects.

PBG pulled the crank and started his game. I had played a bit of pinball before, but I would never get a score high enough to get my name on the board. I didn’t have the luck or the reflexes. That being said, PBG was good. _Really_ good. I watched as his score climbed higher and higher, cheering with Hana and the rest of the crowd. It was weird how there wasn’t an alien abduction mechanic to this machine though. PBG went through his first ball. Then the next. Then the next. At last, he was on his last ball with his score 300,000 short.

His hand was hovering over the trigger, trying to center himself.

“Come on, PBG! You can do it!” I shouted over the crowd, standing up. “I believe in you!”

Surprise came over his face, and PBG turned to look at me. He gave me a thumbs up and started his last round on the machine. I watched the ball as it fell down, my hands clasped together as hand clinged to my arm. 

“He can do this…” Hana muttered. “He can do this…”

PBG was ignoring the UFO he was previously using to earn most of his points. Instead, he focused on keeping the ball in a small area of the machine that was out of the way of earning points. He then waited as the ball fell down, waiting until the very last moment to hit the ball back up, launching back up into the same blank corner. The ball disappeared.

“Wait... where…?” I started to ask before the machine started to light up like crazy, a strange beam-like sound going off.

 ** _SECRET FOUND!! ALIEN ABDUCTION:500,000 POINTS!_** scrolled along the screen.

“YES!” I shouted as PBG crossed his arms, who was smiling at Luke who was now dumbfounded.

PBG then played the rest of the round for fun, Luke’s score now crushed under a score of 1,859,800.

_He did it. He won._

I watched as Hana flew over to him and glomped him. She was happily chatting with him, PBG grinning. I slowly stood up and left the room, my job of watching done. 

“HA! YOU CAN SUCK IT!” I heard PBG shout before I walked out into the crowd.

I decided to join up with the rest of the Normal Boots Club on the other side of the arcade.

“Yunna! You did it!” Jared cheered.

“I sure did!” I smiled as he pulled me into a hug as everyone else tried to pat me and telling me congratulations. 

“I knew you could do it!” Shouted Jon.

Satch looked at me, astonished. “You set a new high score in that division. Did you realize that?”

“Wait. Really?” I asked, unaware of this.

Paul grinned. “Yeah, that combo rate is pretty difficult to do, and it’s pretty rare to see that happen. The emcee was stunned. Did you see his face?” He then mimicked what he looked like, his mouth wide open and his hands on the sides of his face.

“We’re really happy for you.” Jirard added.

“Okay! Okay! I get it!” I laughed.

I was pulling away from everyone when PBG came along with Hana in tow, my smile becoming fake again. 

“Oh, yeah.” Jon said as if he forgot all about his co-founder. “How’d it go, Peebs?”

PBG said nothing at first, only giving him a thumbs up and a smile. “I did it! I beat him!”

“Oh, great!” Jared said, patting PBG on the back. 

Jirard gave him a thumbs up. “Good job!”

“That’s it?” PBG asked, hoping to get more fanfair.

Jared flipped his hair back. “We didn’t expect you to lose. After all, you’re a part of the Normal Boots Club.”

I raised my hand, not wanting to interrupt the moment. Paul pointed at me and allowed me to talk. “This means I get to be apart of Normal Boots now, right?”

PBG laughed. “What do you mean ‘get to be apart of Normal Boots’? He then pulled me into a one armed hug. “You’ve been a member for _forever_.”

“We are glad to have you.” said Satch.

I looked over the group, seeing everyone smile but Shane. I looked away, not expecting him to say what he did next. 

“I guess it won’t be too bad having you around.” Shane sighed.

_Looks like everyone gets a good ending. Hana has PBG and I have Normal Boots… right?_

“Thank you, Shane.” I said, not as excited as I should be.

Our group then passed the time playing games, cheering each other on. I left Hana and PBG alone most of the time so I wouldn’t become the third wheel. I watched as all the others peeled off to do their events one at a time until they finally finished. In no time flat, the final announcement was upon us. The Hidden Block and Normal Boots Clubs hung around the emcee, waiting for the results to be tallied.

Finally, he cleared his throat. “The winner of the 2015 South Southwest Tournament is… The Normal Boots Club!” 

“YES!” I shouted, the entire club traveling up the stage as a lump to receive our prize.

“WE DID IT!” PBG cheered.

The emcee held up the trophy as best he could with the mosh-pit of teenagers around him, PBG now grabbing it out of his hand and taking the mic from him.

“We would like to thank all of our friends, family, and fans for their support! We literally couldn’t have done this without you!” PBG said as he smiled, a Normal Boots Club jacket now in his hands as he passed the trophy off to Jon. “We also have another announcement to make! We’ve got a new member! Introducing, Yunna Readman!”

The crowd clapped politely as I bowed towards them, the mic thrust into my hands. “Um… hello! I’m Yunna Readman, and I am glad to be here!” I then felt the fabric drape across my shoulders.

“Welcome to The Normal Boots Club, Yunna!” PBG stood over me, beaming. 

“My very own jacket…” I said as I fingered the patch, this one firmly sewed on. “It fits perfectly… Thank you! Thank you so much!”

*****************************************************************************************************

When we were all off the stage, Luke asked me to step outside into the mall. The rest of Hidden Block and Normal Boots were now celebrating as if there was never a rivalry to begin with. I sighed as I watched how cute Hana and PBG were being, Hana now shaking a finger at PBG as he made a face that clearly was trying to say he was sorry. .

_I can take care of this myself. No need to interrupt them._

I told everyone I would be back in a minute, following Luke outside soon after. I flopped onto the nearest bench, feeling exhausted from all the stress that was weighing me down. 

“So, what is it Luke? PBG won. No more letters.” I said, wanting to make things clear.

“This is the last one, I promise.” Luke said as he pulled out a small book from his jacket, opening it to take out a clean, white envelope. 

I was hesitant. “Promise?”

“Promise” He said, pulling me into a hug with a pained expression on his face. I hugged him back, knowing what kind of pain he was going through since I was doing the same. 

To love someone who didn’t love you back was hard.

He was putting his book back as I took the letter and tore it open. “Don’t read it now! Read it when you get back…”

I held back my laughter as I read his letter, re-reading it once more to make sure I have read it right, this time out loud.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yunna - I know I have a lot to explain and I hope this does everything justice.

See, I knew as soon as PBG saw you walk up to the front of the class that the poor boy was helplessly in love with you.

I watched you interact at lunch, and it was slowly started to drive me crazy. He loved you, but wasn’t going to do anything about it!

After nothing happened at the festival, I took matters into my own hands.

Initially, I just wanted to be another suitor, hoping that would spark a fire and make him hurry it up. I was trying to be super generic and cliche, comparing you to the sea and such. I know, kinda lame.

But then PBG let slip that he still hadn’t made a move, so I took matters into my own hands.

I wanted something big and theatrical - something _truly_ romantic. I’m a hopless romantic myself, after all! And in movies, there’s always that obstacle to overcome that gets the couple together.

Truthfully, I didn’t write those last ones. I got them from Thylight - the most romantic movie to come out in the past ten years! With those, I know PBG would _really_ come and fend for you.

It was like a big, huge opera! PBG saves you from the masked caper! An amazing, movie-like moment! At least I hope it was!

But since that _still_ didn’t work, I had to pretend that I was in love with you.

It should be obvious by now, but I’m not. Not that you’re not great or anything, but PBG’s the one for you.

Because honestly? Nothing is more then our friendship.

Please don't’ hate me for doing all that… but I know PBG. He is too afraid to show you his heart until he had to fight to protect you. And if I’m not mistaken, he fought pretty hard, didn’t he?

Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m awesome. I’ve got your back, girl!

Anyways, wishing you the best - Luke

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Yeah, well, you were mistaken.” I said as I had laughed so hard I started to cry. “Because the person PBG is really in love with is Hana, not me! He gave her a blue feather...”

“I know you look a lot alike but he really likes…” Luke tried to explain.

My laughter finally died down, tears still rolling down my cheeks. “NO! I need to give up on him… Like you value your friendship with him, so do I! I know when I don’t have a chance! He loved her since he was a kid! What chance do I have! NONE! I already heard him confess to her ages ago back when he broke his leg! Even if they are not together yet, it is just a matter of time!”

“Yunna…” PBG said from behind me, Hana gasped.

“You… you heard everything, haven’t you?” I turned around, facing the two of them. Hana had her hand over her mouth as PBG was gaping like a fish. “I’m… I’m sorry… I hope you two are happy together…”

“YUNNA!” PBG shouted as I ran out of the mall. 

*****************************************************************************************************

I had no idea where I was going, but I was happy to see that no one had followed me. I somehow ran all the way out to the fields by the school, a single tree on top of the hill. I walked up and sat at the tree’s base, crying my heart out.

For a moment, I thought I heard someone call my name, dismissing it as the wind as I continued to feel sorry for myself. My vision was blurry, but I could see enough to see a shape walking toward me. I tried to run, only to freeze when they shouted for me to stay.

“Go away!” I shouted, hiding my face. 

“No!” PBG said, grabbing my wrist. “I’m not letting you go you let me say what I want to say!”

I nodded. “Fine. Go ahead. Break my heart…”

PBG sighed as he hugged me tightly. “There is something I need to tell you. Ever since we first met, I had feelings for you. I like you and want you to be my girlfriend.”

I looked up at him, remembering him saying those exact same words. “But… but you said that to Hana over the phone…”

“I… was getting love advice from Hana… And she wanted me to practice confessing to you with her.” PBG said as he blushed. “It’s true I gave her a blue feather, but I was just acting out Harvest Noon. I didn’t mean anything by it. We’re just friends. I’ve been trying to confess to you for a while now but I kept feeling like maybe you didn’t like me that way, maybe you wanted to be stick with friends, and I couldn’t bare with the thought that I would confess and you would reject me and you wouldn’t feel comfortable being my friend anymore. I didn’t want you to think I only became your friend to date you or something because your friendship means alot to me, even though I liked you ever since we first met, which is something I never really wanted to tell you...”

“So… so that means…” I said, cutting him off. “That means I am not a horrible person! Oh, thank God!” I then wrapped my arms around him.

PBG laughed at the thought. “What made you think that you were a horrible person?”

“I thought… I thought I liked one of my best friend’s boyfriend… and… and I wanted you for myself...” I hid my face from him, embarrassed. “That’s why I pushed you away sometimes. I didn’t want to get too close… For Hana’s sake.”

“So… that means… you like me?” He asked, blushing red.

“After all that and you are still asking me that?” I giggled, looking up at him. “I don’t just like you, PBG... I... I love you.”

He continued to look at me in utter shock. “Y-you do? Why?”

“After all we been through and you ask that!?” 

He stared at me, then started beaming. “Y-you're serious!?”

“Yes! That’s what I have been telling you!” I hugged him tighter, determined not to let go this time.

He then started to lift me from my waist, spinning me around. “Yunna! You love me!”

“I love you!” I said again, clinging onto him the best I could to keep myself from flying out of his grip.

“I love you!” He said back, looking deep into my eyes as he set me back on the ground.

“Again...” I pleaded, the first time not being enough. “Please… say it -”

He kissed me. At first I didn’t know how to react, wanting to pull away yet wanting to get closer as well. I let my body relax and did what felt natural. It felt soft and warm. We pulled away from each other, the both of us red in the face. Simply saying ‘I love you’ wasn’t enough anymore. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him towards me so we could kiss again, but -

“Alright! It’s about time!” Jared exclaimed. “Hey, guys! I found them!”

PBG and I pulled away from each other. PBG tried to explain why we were so close to each other as I turned more and more red.

“Oh, no, you can’t fool me!” Jared exclaimed. “I’d recognize the looks on your faces in the heat of battle.” He winked at the both of us as PBG kept denying we were doing anything of the sort.

I squeed, hiding the smile I couldn’t help growing on my face.

The rest of the Normal Boots gang soon found us.

“Did PBG finally confess!?” Hana asked as she made her way to the front.

“Even better.” Jared said smugly. “They were making out.”

“Duuuuuuude!” Paul exclaimed.

Jared rolled his eyes. “I know! I was just starting to think that PBG would never get around to it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” PBG demanded.

_Wait… does this mean… everyone really did know?_

“You’re a bit of a wuss.” Shane said sharply.

“I am not!” PBG whined. “This is totally not reflective of my character! And besides, it was I who confessed at the end!”

Shane glanced at me and I just covered my face more.

“Yunna seems to think differently.” Shane laughed.

“Y-Yunna?”

I just went over to hug him.

“Yunna, back me up here!”

“You are actually right… You did confess to me first… I just didn’t know it yet…” I blushed.

“Lame, dude.” Jared commented.

“Whatever.” He said as he spun me around , his arms draped around me. “Yunna is my g-g-girlfriend, now, so you guys can totally suck it! I got the best girl there is. Be jealous!”

“Ha! I don’t know about that.” Jared said as he looked away.

I just laughed. “Oh, does that mean you know someone better? Who’s she?”

He chuckled. “Don’t you mind. Anyway, I have someplace to be. I’ll catch you two lovebirds later.” He then walked in the direction of Primrose House.

I rolled my eyes. “Hey, where did Hana go?” I asked as I looked around.

“She left on the train to visit her father.” Paul explained. “She said she would come and interrogate you later.”

“Oh, okay.” I said happily, snuggling against PBG.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” PBG asked.

I blushed a little, knowing exactly what he was thinking. “Um… We should...We should tail him!”

“That… wasn’t what I was thinking about at all...”

I looked away from him. “Um… I know… Unless you still want to-”  
“NOPE! TAILING HIM, RIGHT. LET’S GO!” He said, the both of us blushing red as we made our way back to campus.

_We can do that later, anyway… After all, we have all the time in the world now._

We then walked together to Primrose House.

_Finally. We are both together even after all those misunderstandings. And together, we can do anything._


	11. Best End Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens in room 325?

PBG and I hid in the stairway as we watched Jared looking over his shoulder as he knocked on room 325’s door. Mai almost mauled him as she opened to let him in. I strained to hear any of their conversation, but they whispered most of it. I looked over at PBG as they finally went inside. 

“Let’s give them a few minutes to settle down then we can catch them.” PBG suggested as we tip-toed over to the door. 

I nodded as I pulled out my key and slid it noiselessly into the lock. I grinned as I heard the two of them giggling, becoming more and more curious as I slowly unlocked the door, thankful that Mai’s laugh covered the sound of the tumblers clicking into place. 

PBG then put his hands on the door, leaning towards me and whispering into my ear. “I hope we don’t find them in a _compromising_ situation.”

I felt myself blushing red as he winked at me. “Well, we can have our own compromising situation later.” I teased as I gave him a peck on the cheek, half twisting the doorknob. “Ready? Three… Two… ONE!”

PBG and I flung ourselves through the doorway, Mai and Jared now looking at us in shock, frozen in their positions on the floor which was now scattered with maps, various dice, a pair of figurines that looked exactly like them, and character sheets. The biggest grin grew on my face, unable to keep myself from fangirling in front of them and my boyfriend.

“I’M RUIIIINNNEEEED!!!” Jared shouted, now dressed in sapphire blue robes and a wizard's hat.

Mai laughed and wrapped her arms around Jared. “No, you’re not, you old coot. Yunna’s not going to…”

“YOU JERK!” I pouted, pointing at him with an accusing finger as everyone just looked at me funny.. “Why didn’t you tell us you played D&D? Is this fifth edition!? What classes are you playing? Do you need a cleric? I should have my character sheets somewhere on my PC still. The one time I decide to leave my dice at home… THE ONE TIME!”

The three of them stared at me, a bit flabbergasted on how animated I was. I then opened my laptop and started it up, wanting to get my sheets.

“Y-you play D&D?” Jared stammered, his sparkles brighter than usual.

“Yeah. I usually play online with my guild, but it would be a nice change of pace to play IRL. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.” I said as I smiled. “PBG, can you play too, _please!?_ I always wanted to make a pair of characters that were a couple!”

“So that is what you were doing on those days I’m not here! Why didn’t you tell me?” Mai asked as she leaned over my shoulder.

“You never asked.” I shrugged. “Besides, I didn’t want to bore you. I never knew you liked D&D. And once I start talking about a game, I kind of go overboard. I know that you aren’t into games as much as I was… so...”

“Well, it’s a good thing you did come along. I am in a bit of a scrape.” Mai said as she hugged me from the side.

“FOUND IT!” I shouted as I pulled my laptop to the floor now, taking PBG with me and getting comfy laying against him. “So, lay out the scene, oh great sorcerer.”

 

And on that day, we found out that Mai and Jared had somehow started dating.

 

Hana come back the next day, excited to find out that her best friend had a girlfriend now. She was so happy for us. She then explained how PBG kept calling her for advice. It turns out Violet did end up telling her about my crush and didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to ruin things. Hana even had to push PBG into looking for me. Violet is going to have a field day when Hana goes back to the States and tells her what happened since I would be too embarrassed to retell the story.

I’m so happy to have friends that like me so much.

After all the misunderstandings and trouble that we had to go through to get here…

It was all worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm happy with how it turned out. I hope the rest of the routes come out just as well. Until next time!


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